Labours Of Leadership
by The Mosh Pit
Summary: Decades after the defeat of Alduin, Teldryn Sero and the Dragonborn begin the process of ruling and re-establishing the New Falmer Kingdom. But leadership has its price, paid with heart, body and mind, and despite attempts to keep the kingdom in seclusion, a new threat rises, greater than any they thought possible. Follow-on for Long Way From Home.
1. Chapter 1:Prologue - Pressure

'Gelebor. We are not going to discuss this any further. Do I make myself clear?'  
Nysteris' eyes blazed with rage, her teeth clenched as she clawed the arms of her throne.

'Please understand, my queen. It was you who so openly proclaimed to your subjects that you would hold fast to the old ways, and to great acclaim. They grow impatient and concerned. I merely communicate their wishes to you.'

Gelebor's face was pained and drawn. He understood the delicate nature of the subject, and he understood that the queen's reaction would be powerfully negative. He did not want to handle the subject any more than she did; but something had to be done. 'Your people have obediently followed your guidance, and produced many children. Our numbers are still few. Did we not enact the great Cleansing Of The Vale to preserve their purity and secure the prosperity of our race?'

Nysteris stared at him in stunned disbelief. Although she knew he was only trying to enact the wishes of the subjects, it did nothing to lessen her outrage.  
'What does the Cleansing have to do with selective breeding? If we hadn't killed the Betrayed, they would have killed us! We aren't Altmer! This is The Vale, not the Summerset Isles!' Her voice was loud and filled with anger.

'It has been the way of the Falmer nobility since the very beginning, my lady. Even the lost colonies practised it up until the day we came to guide them home. You have raised no issue with its continued enactment since The Homecoming. It ensures the strength and prosperity of our race, and we are too few in number to allow ourselves to falter.' He paused, the awkward embarrassment weighing heavily upon him as he sighed. 'Your subjects desire an heir of pure Falmer blood. They look to you to uphold the ancient and long-honoured traditions of your people as you have promised; to give your contribution to the kingdom as they have.'

'I will not be a brood mare for anybody.' Her nostrils flared as she hissed at Gelebor. 'I did not win the throne from passive compliance. I am a warrior and a Herald. I will do as I please. If the people want an heir, and if the desire ever takes me to comply, they will have to accept one of Dunmer heritage. Teldryn is as capable and fit, and as good a sire, as any Falmer in The Vale.'

'Please, my queen,' he gently pleaded. 'I know that you are reluctant.'

'Reluctant? Reluctant?!'

'The people love and accept the honourable ambassador with great enthusiasm. They always have. But this is what consorts are for. You are not being made to give him up, my queen. But the pedigree tradition has been a part of the culture of Falmer nobility since the dawn of our race. Your own pedigree, and mine, are testament to this.'

'Then I will abdicate.'

The frustration roiling in Gelebor's mind was almost palpable.

'Your leadership is the glue holding the new kingdom of your people together. You are the one who has revived the glory of the Falmer, my queen. And our alliance with the Dunmer of House Redoran, and the tenure of Teldryn, is conditional upon your position as ruler. All your predecessors bore pure blood children for their subjects while maintaining their true loves, even in the public eye. It is not unexpected. You are at liberty to produce children with your consorts after the first heir has been born.'

Nysteris sighed loudly, her heart burning with conflict and insolent anger. She gripped her head roughly, a deep furrow on her brow as she closed her eyes.

'Your court and council have expressed their wishes for these traditions to be followed and have chosen a sire.'

'What!' She roared in disbelief. 'Who?'

'General Virdanyis.'

She merely stared at Gelebor in open-mouthed shock as he shifted uncomfortably where he stood, averting his eyes respectfully.

'How do you expect Teldryn to react to this?'

'He is a seasoned military man. I would expect that he would understand the importance of self-sacrifice for the good of one's kind, and of the importance of keeping tradition.'

'Get out.'

Gelebor sighed as he exited the throne room, bowing to Nysteris as he closed the door behind him.

The court and council gathered quickly in the great hall, their curious expressions of anticipation written on their faces.

'What of the Queen? Did she yield? Was it a successful meeting?'

He sighed loudly as he looked up at them, his expression stern.

'It went... about as well as expected.'


	2. Chapter 2: Jealousy

'Ahahaha! Revenge, is it? I thought you were above such things.' I smiled broadly as I ruffled my hand through my Mohawk, shaking out the snow she had thrown at me. 'You have no idea how cold that is on Dunmer skin. You'll give me a headache.'

'Stop shaving it, then.' Nysteris grinned cheekily as she packed another snowball, her eyes lighting up with mischief as she reared her arm. 'I'm doing you a favour. Getting you used to it.'

'Is that right, sera?' I smiled as my hand lit up with a halo of fire as I stared at her. 'That's a two-way street, you know.'

'You monster.' She grin on her face broadened as she began to walk toward me and lazily tossed the snowball at my chest. I smirked as it broke on my armour.  
'Good girl.' I flashed an antagonistic smile at her as I extinguished the flame and reached out to put my arm around her narrow waist. She stood on her tiptoes as she reached up to kiss me, her hands resting gently on my chest as a wave of contentment swept through me.  
She looked so beautiful to me as she stood there in the snow, her long black hair messed up from our vigorous sparring. The fabric on the back of her long tunic was wet with melted snow from where I had knocked her on her backside earlier during our practice lesson. I slid my hand down her back, firmly gripping her buttocks as I murmured to her with my lips pressed against her mouth. 'You need to practise your footwork.'

'What a shame. Looks like I'm going to need more lessons.'

I was slowly becoming accustomed to the cold. Coping with the invariably freezing climate of The Vale had been a testing experience; every piece of armour and apparel I owned needed to be donned over a layer of furs. I always seemed to feel excessively padded and mildly uncomfortable.

'You might have to wait until I return from Morrowind.' I gently pulled away from her and brushed the stray hairs away from her face with my fingers. 'The Arch-Master has made another appointment.'

She sighed heavily, her big, almond-shaped eyes adopting an expression of worry and hesitation as she looked up at me, gently taking me by the hand and leading me back inside to the quiet warmth of her chambers.

It was an expression I did not often witness from her.

I had felt the same way when the snow hawk had returned from Blacklight, the small capsule containing the summoning notice tied to its leg with crimson cord; the colour of Great House Redoran.  
The need to keep the location of The Vale a closely guarded secret made the use of the messenger birds necessary, but the great distance between here and Morrowind made communication slow and frustrating.

The council had summoned me for an official progressional hearing only a month earlier. It was unusual for them to request another so soon after.

'I was hoping I'd have you for a while longer before you left again.' Her voice was quiet and still as she sat on the grand bed, waiting for me to join her before she continued.  
'There's something... Something I need to talk to you about.'

I felt a cloud of cautious hesitation pass over me as I looked at her, a serious frown upon my face as I warily watched on.  
This was most unusual. Nysteris was not a creature usually prone to such a delicate approach.

'What is it?'  
I heard the low growl of my voice come forth from me as I continued to stare at her. It sounded threatening; I had not intended it to.

She hesitated before she spoke, averting her eyes to stare at the ground at her feet.  
'A... Political situation of a personal nature has emerged.'

'Yes...' I waited for her to continue, not enjoying the continued sensation of grim uncertainty growing in my chest.

'The people are applying pressure for me to produce an heir.'

I was surprised.

I had expected her to deliver news of a much more difficult situation.  
It only occurred to me at that moment that I had never considered the idea of becoming a father before. I probably should have. It was an inevitability at some stage.  
'Oh.' I smiled slightly, pleasantly unsure of what I should say next. 'Well, sera... You seem somewhat resistant.' I reached across to her back stroke her hair; to my concern, she stiffened, becoming still and awkward as I touched her.

I frowned. 'You don't want children?'

'The people wish for me to follow custom and tradition as I have asked of them.' She turned to look at me, her eyes filled with trepidation and fear. 'You know of our practice of... Arranging such things.'

My heart sank as I registered the shock.  
When I was appointed to the position of Ambassador, Gelebor had given me an extensive lesson on Falmer customs and culture. He had indeed told me of the tradition of selective breeding; at the time, the only thing that had registered in my mind was the similarity that existed between Falmer society and that of the Altmer.  
I began to understand what Nysteris was trying to tell me; why she was so wrought with anxiety.

'Oh Azura.'

She looked up at me, the look of turmoil still fixed upon her face.

I didn't know what to say. I was numb.  
Arranged pairings were the standard among the nobility and ruling classes of all races. It should not have come as such as surprise to me.

But I was still reeling from the revelation. The idea of being made to sit back and helplessly watch as she was pressured into carrying the child of another man against her will was incomprehensible.  
My mind burned with a sense of violation and jealousy.

'You have agreed to this?' I hissed through gritted teeth.  
I was not angry with her. I did not intend for her to think that I was. But I struggled to maintain my composure.  
'No! Of course not.' Her hand came to rest gently on my knee, her eyes filled with an expression of pleading sorrow and panic.

I remained silent, trying to rein in the negative emotions burning within me.  
No. Not like this. To the others, yes. But not to my Nysteris. She was mine.

'Who is he?' I asked, my teeth still clenched and my voice a low and threatening growl as I glared at her.

'Teldryn, please...'

'Tell me.'

'Don't hurt him...'

'Just tell me, fetcher!'  
I was shocked with myself.

Her eyes widened with fear and surprise; she had never seen me express such rage in her presence.

When she spoke, it was in a quiet whisper.

'Virdanyis.'

General Virdanyis. Of course it was. The man I had grown to form a mutual respect and a comfortable friendship with.

I got up suddenly from the bed and went to storm out of her chambers.

'I need to be alone.'

I could hear her pleading with me as I left, closing the doors behind me.

It was going to be a long and difficult trip to Blacklight tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3: The Enemy

It was snowing heavily in The Vale.

I sat sullenly in the throne room, propping up my cheek with my fist, waiting for Gelebor to arrive.

I hadn't slept at all last night. I couldn't get the sound of Teldryn's voice out of my head as he had shouted at me, fire and rage lighting up his red eyes as he snarled in his rasping voice.

'Just tell me, fetcher!'

The words echoed in my mind as I stared at the grey and gold banners hanging from the walls.

Bastard.

I should have buried him in snow and left him there for a few hours to cool his temper. He knew that it wasn't my decision about Virdanyis or the heir.

The great doors of the throne room swung open as Gelebor and Virdanyis entered, bowing briefly before striding toward me with a distinct sense of urgency.

I glared at Virdanyis with malice in my gaze as he approached. His eyes met mine briefly, the vivid pale blue of them glowing in the setting of his white, chiseled face.

He didn't know. Gelebor had assured me that the council had yet to inform him. He didn't have any more choice in the matter than I did.

He stopped in front of me as Gelebor continued, coming to stand by my side.  
'My queen.' Virdanyis kneeled on the ground, his elbow resting on one knee as he bowed his head respectfully, his silver-white ponytail softly falling over his shoulder to rest on the side of his neck. His smooth voice echoed throughout the great stone hall.

He was tall, quite young - 74 years old - and unquestionably handsome. The hand maidens tittered and blushed a little as they watched him.  
In my foul mood, it made me hate him a little more.

'Rise, General.' My voice was droll and acid as I spoke to him. He stood up obediently, not reacting to my hostile tone.

'I have important news to report, my queen. The scouts have returned with words of Thalmor agents in Darkfall Cave.'

I felt my heart stop at the sound of the dreadful words.

Thalmor agents.

I knew it would only be a matter of time before I was forced to deal with the Thalmor again; I had never expected them to come here.

'Thalmor? Here?' I whispered the words in shock as I stared at Virdanyis, a look of stunned disbelief on my face.

'Yes, my lady. Three of their scouts have discovered the Wayshrine.' His brow furrowed slightly as he spoke, a grim expression darkening his stare. 'They are still present as we speak and are unaware of our knowledge.'

'How do you wish to proceed?'

Gelebor's voice was as calm as always. He had apparently not taken my unfriendly demeanour of recent times to heart.  
He politely handed me a paper scroll, carefully rolled and bearing the unbroken wax seal of House Redoran.

I stared at it for a moment before taking it from him, thanking him as I stood up and began to walk toward the doors of the throne room.

'Gelebor, you're in charge. I'm going to take care of this myself.'

Virdanyis and Gelebor turned to watch me as I strode down the hall and headed toward the armoury to fetch my armour and bow.

There was no way those agents were going to leave Darkfall cave alive.

As I reached the armoury doors and slipped inside, closing them behind me, I pulled the letter from my pocket and slipped my fingernail underneath the wax seal.

A wave of hesitation swept over me as I saw Teldryn's familiar handwriting. I swallowed hard as I began to read.

_My dearest queen,_

_My heart is heavy with regret upon remembering my misconduct at our last conversation. It was a shameful display of my lack of temperance, and I sincerely wish for your forgiveness. My heart is, as it has always been, yours. It is my hope that your spirit is not burdened by my show of disrespect. You are blameless._

_I have left for Blacklight city with my escort. It has troubled me to learn from my officers that the honourable Arch-Master Zirek has summoned me for a conference with a Thalmor representative from Skyrim. I fear there may be sobering news on the horizon. One hopes that any conflict can be resolved with the virtues of diplomacy. It may have been wise to send the General as well._

_My Queen, during my restless sleep without your embrace last night, I have had time to think about your difficult situation._  
_I know of the sacrifices you have made to protect your people from extinction, and to preserve their culture and traditions. They wish to abide by those ways and have done so at your behest. It is understandable that they would want their queen to practise as she preaches._  
_As difficult as this has been for me, I am only an ambassador and a consort. It is not within my power or rights to question or change the way of things. I can merely support you in whichever decision you choose to make._  
_In my capacity as your ambassador, it would be improper for me to dissuade you from fulfilling the wishes of your people. If you must give them an example of your dedication to your role as they have done for you, then it is what it is. As long as I am the only one to hold your heart and soul, we can follow with children of our own someday._

_Virdanyis is a good man, and it is easy to see why your court and council have chosen him as sire. His physical strength, intelligence and aptitude would make for impressive offspring when combined with your own numerous virtues._

_I do, however, wish to make a request of you, my love: wait for me to return from my engagement in Blacklight before you commence._

_I may not be able to sire your child legitimately just yet, but accidents do happen sometimes. And can't be corrected once they arrive._

_I love you, Nysteris._

_Forever and faithfully yours,_

_Teldryn Sero_

I didn't know how to feel.

Teldryn was always so much more eloquent in his writing.

The news of the Thalmor representative in Blacklight was troubling news to say the least.

But the rest of the letter left me with a feeling of relief, joy, and utter confusion.

A smile broke upon my face as I read the last few lines again and understood what he was implying.

I carefully folded it and tucked it away into my satchel as I donned my Nightingale armour and hood.


	4. Chapter 4: The Plan

'I've brought you a gift from Morrowind, sera.'

I grinned wickedly at her as I purred the words and folded my arms across my chest, my vision slightly narrowed by the long Redoran helmet I wore. The crimson cloak hanging over the shoulders of my bonemold armour hung heavily and the tattered trims almost touched the ground. 'It's long, hard, and grey. And you can't get enough of it.'

I saw her eyes light up with with a dark thrill as a sly smile crept upon her face.

Gelebor cleared his throat uncomfortably as he stood next to the throne.  
The pretty hand maidens giggled and blushed, hiding their smiles behind their hands.

My grin widened beneath my helmet as I watched Nysteris uncross her legs and lean forward a little, her grey and gold robes parting slightly at her thighs as she did so.

'You are most gracious, Ambassador. Please, present it to the court.'

The smile remained firmly plastered on my face as I reached beneath the heavy Redoran cloak to produce a long, dull, iron canister. A note was tied to the side of it, smeared slightly with ash.  
'From Geldis Sadri, my queen. A generous sample of his latest blend of Sujamma, and the recipe. Purchased for a respectable sum.'

Her grin broke into a wide smile as she gazed at me. 'Brilliant.'

The chamber maids were still giggling. Gelebor rolled his eyes ever so slightly, clearly not impressed.

'What's the matter with everybody?' I said with an air of artificial surprise. 'You all act as if you thought I was talking about my -'

'Please, Ambassador.' Gelebor's tone was blunt and bore a hint of disgust.

'You're all dismissed.' Nysteris waved her hand to them as she continued to stare at me, trying her hardest to maintain her composure.

Gelebor shook his head slowly as he began to walk away from the throne, the maidens forming a single file line behind him.  
'- cock.' I smiled widely again, thriving on the reactions of the audience.  
Gelebor quickly turned around, a look of sheer disbelief and offence upon his face.  
The women burst out laughing as they made for the exit of throne room.  
'Ladies.' I gave a low growl to them as they shyly filed past, my arms still folded across the heavy armour.  
They continued giggling as they made their exit, quietly closing the door behind them.

'Ah. Alone with you at last, my queen.' I reached up to remove my helmet, flashing her my most charming smile.  
'That's quite a way to clear a throne room,' she laughed quietly, standing up and quickly gliding across the carpet toward me. 'I'm going to be hearing about this from Gelebor later.'  
I wrapped my arm around her waist as she leaned up to kiss me. 'He wasn't impressed.' I bit the tip of her ear as she slid her hands under my cloak. 'Your maids, on the other hand...'

She shot me a droll glance, a smirk still upon her face as she took me by the hand and led me down the hall to her chambers. I watched her hips sway and her long black curtain of hair softly bump against the small of her waist as she walked.

I had missed her dearly.

I'd been ashamed of myself for the entire seven day trip after I had left. I knew it wasn't her fault and that she hadn't done anything wrong.  
If there were three traits that defined the nature of a Dunmer male, they were a quick temper, a high libido, and a distrustful nature. I was no different.

She handed me a glass bottle of Falmer spirits; the heavily perfumed fragrance wafted through the air as she uncorked it.  
'More kynsin?' I said as I took it from her gently. 'Are you trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?'  
The fine liquid was strong and as sweet as honey. It didn't take much of it to make one's head begin to float.  
'You're full of spark today.' Her eyes lit up as she lifted the bottle to her lips. 'I thought you'd be a bit more... Somber.'

'I had time to think about what I'd done. I missed you. Forgive me.'

She smiled softly, her eyes holding mine in a steady gaze. She wasn't upset.

The letter had worked. Thank the tribunal.  
'What happened in Blacklight?'  
Her voice was quiet and curious.

I sighed heavily, necking the bottle of kynsin before I spoke.

'A sour-faced Thalmor bitch named Elenwen.'

I saw her expression become blank as she heard the name.

'She wanted to arrange an audience with you and could only make initial contact with the kingdom through Blacklight. I told her no, of course.'

She remained silent for a while, the same blank expression on her face. I frowned.

'Are you alright?'

'Do you remember when I told you about the time I rescued a guild member from a torture chamber in an embassy?'

I couldn't help but scoff slightly. It was a bizarre sentence, but not in the context of her colourful past.

'Yes.'  
Suddenly, the realisation began to dawn on me.  
'...oh. You crashed her party.'

'She'll recognise me as soon as she sees my face.'

'But she won't see your face, sera. She'll never be able to unless you allow it to happen.'

A dark cloud suddenly passed over her face as a grim determination took over.  
'I killed three Thalmor scouts at the Wayshrine in Darkfall cave a few days ago.'

I felt the shock grip me.

'Did you dispose of the bodies?'

'I tossed them to the vale sabrecats.'

'Well. Problem solved.'

Her face was still hard and sober.

'They're looking for us, Teldryn. I don't know why.'  
There was no hint of fear in her voice; only serious determination.  
I caught a glimpse of the leader and the warrior in her at that moment.  
The protection of her precious Vale came before all else for her. She had struggled and bargained with the gods themselves to reclaim the prosperity of her people; she would sacrifice her own life to ensure their safety without a glimmer of hesitation.  
Maybe it was the Herald in her.

'We'll deal with it. We are safe for now.'  
I smoothed her hair with my armoured hand, preparing myself for a conversation of a more delicate nature.

'What did you think of my brilliantly written letter?' I smiled.

Her face softened instantly as she looked at me, her huge cat eyes brightening a little as she smiled.  
'I was... Confused. And surprised. I didn't think you'd ever take to the idea.'

'Have you taken to it, sera?'

She smiled at me sadly. 'Which part?'

I felt a slight nervousness wash over me as I spoke.  
'The part where you please your people by producing an heir. Maybe a Dunmeri one... Accidentally, of course.' I grinned gently as I continued. 'They'll be happy for the thirteen months of your pregnancy, at least. You're the queen, remember. You can just tell them to like it.'

She turned her head to gaze at me, her eyes shimmering with emotion.

'It won't stop me from being required to... Receive the General.'

'I know.' I suppressed a momentary swelling of jealousy. 'But it seems that it's the price you'll need to pay for your leadership. It is just the way of things.'

'You're... You are willing to do that? There's no guarantee that...'

'It doesn't matter. I'll love you no matter what you do. Just don't enjoy yourself too much.'

She scoffed quietly, smiling as she looked down into her bottle.

'Alright. I'll tell Gelebor in the morning. Poor Virdanyis doesn't know yet.'

'Poor Virdanyis?' I said, affecting an air of disbelief. 'This will be the best thing that has ever happened to him. You'll lift the standing of his entire bloodline.'

'No I won't. Hopefully not, anyway.' She grinned at me. 'Imagine the scandal when the baby is born and it's pale grey with purple eyes.'

I laughed loudly. 'Oh, I can't wait.'

I gently moved her hair away from her face as I leaned in to kiss her neck, and she reached underneath my cloak to unbuckle my heavy, ash-marked cuirass.

'Let's not waste any time.'


	5. Chapter 5: Duty

'You have never been with one of your own kind before, my queen?'

The priestess of Dibella looked up at me with a suggestive half-smile as she pressed her long white fingers into the flesh of my calf, massaging the light oil into my skin.  
Her pale green eyes glimmered with a barely detectable hint of satisfaction; her long, pale golden hair glowed eerily from the aura of the gleamblossom carefully tucked behind her ear.

'No,' I murmured quietly.

This was all too uncomfortable. The soft music, the incense, the flowers, the rituals. It was ridiculous.  
I had never been taken by feminine adornments. They made me feel weak and incompetent.  
I wanted to pull the flower out of my hair and extinguish the candles.

'You are accustomed to a different type of lover. The rugged and dominant passion of a dark one from the ash lands.'  
I grabbed the glass of kynsin from the low stone table next to me and took a long, deep drink, emptying it before replacing it on the table.

I didn't want to think about Teldryn during this awkward encounter, but it might be the only thing that would carry me through.  
A chamber maid dutifully stepped forward to refill my glass from a large decanter.

I had put a drop of Sleeping Tree Sap into it earlier when I had been alone. It was helping.

The blessing of Dibella and the small bottle of elixir the beautiful priestess had given me earlier had put me into a state of vague sexual arousal. The sensation was slowly building in strength as she massaged my feet.

Everything was being done to lull me into a deep sense of relaxation and to put me in the mood. Everybody knew that my amorous desire lay with Teldryn and that I was a reluctant host.

The knowledge that the priestess would be present in the room to see that the act was carried through to completion was uncomfortable, to put it mildly.

'This will be a different experience for you, my queen. The Falmer are a very amorous race of Mer, and Falmer men are careful and attentive lovers. He will not spill his seed until you have reached your peak.'

The language she used made me squirm as I sat on the bed.  
Apart from angering me by implying that Teldryn always finished first, I was annoyed by the fact that I was expected to climax as well.  
This wasn't love-making. I had intended to get drunk and bear it. To lie back and think of The Vale.

'Why do I have to enjoy it?'  
My voice betrayed my irritation. The priestess just smiled at me as my head began to become light, the sedation from the sleeping tree sap starting to kick in.

'It greatly improves your chances of becoming with child, my lady. As it would also if you were to allow him to take control and to enter you from behind. It ensures deeper...'

'I know.'

I felt a flare of offence and embarrassment crawl over me, dulled by the doctored kynsin.

I grabbed the filled glass of alcohol and downed it in a single, long draught before roughly putting it back on the bedside table. 'Let's get this over with.'

The chamber maid slowly got up from her kneeling position and bowed before leaving the room; the priestess of Dibella stood up and quietly went to sit on a chair next to the canopy of the bed, the material obscuring her from my view.

I breathed deeply as the aching heat began to grow between my legs and the door slowly opened to show Virdanyis.

'My Queen.'  
His angular white cheeks bore the faintest hint of blood in them; I could tell right away that he had been prepared with blessings and potions in the same way that I had been.

His ice blue eyes were looking straight at me; his long silver hair was tied back into a low ponytail and tucked behind his sharply pointed, white ears.  
The smile on his face was so faint it was almost undetectable.

In my altered state, I was almost impressed by the sight of him, so tall and straight, his broad shoulders covered by the pauldrons of his robes.

I sighed as I felt my head begin to spin and the wetness start to become warm on my inner thighs. I closed my eyes and thought of Teldryn.

Teldryn, Teldryn, Teldryn.

His deep, rasping voice purring into my ear as he bit the tip of it; the searing heat of his bare, dark skin against mine as he pulled me toward him by the waist; the thoroughly euphoric and satisfying sensation of fullness I felt as he slid himself inside of me, pushing until I could feel the tip of his length pressing hard against my insides, creating a thrillingly dull ache that made me push back against him.

I opened my eyes, my head swimming as I spoke to Virdanyis.

'Let's be done here quickly.'


	6. Chapter 6: Away

'What of the chaurus?'

Gelebor's face was calm and confident as he spoke to the General, sitting across the stone table from him in the former quarters of Arch-Curate Vyrthur.

'They progress well.' Virdanyis crossed his arms over his chest and smiled as he leaned back in his chair, spreading his knees apart. 'They are fully broken now, although they become more difficult to control when brought out into the sun. We have begun culling the eggs to limit the captive population.'

'And the spiders?'  
'Less promising. They are docile, but cannot be directed.'

'Our queen will be pleased regardless.' Gelebor smiled calmly, an expression of smooth fortitude upon his face. 'I expect her to authorise the slaughter of the horses soon. The mages have concluded their study of Arvak and the gems have been prepared.'

It made sense to Virdanyis that the military be given horses which would not need to be fed, watered, or kept alive in the hostile tundra environment of The Vale. They could be summoned when needed and would not fall in battle.  
The entire defence force of the Snow Elves consisted of no more than three hundred and fifty men. Nysteris wanted to assure that they were extremely well trained, well equipped, and armed to the teeth; although it was she herself, and her dragons, which comprised the most fearsome element of the Falmer arsenal.

'She has left for Solitude?' Virdanyis asked.

'She has. And to arrange... Other connections.'

'I see that she did not take Naslaarum.'  
There was a distinct tone of concern in the General's voice.  
He often worried for her. It was no secret that The Queen maintained dark alliances.  
Her people knew that she had been a vampire for over one thousand years. It had not been a scandal as it no longer mattered; she was no longer afflicted, and her actions in recovering and reuniting the Lost Colonies to bring them back to The Vale had proven her dedication to her people; as had the destruction of Alduin.  
What was less well known were her connections to the Thieve's Guild. The Dark Brotherhood. The vampires of Castle Volkihar.  
There were whispers of her continued alliances with the Daedric Princes, and the Dragons; Of her familiarity with the planes of Oblivion and of delving into the darkest realms of necromancy, and the summoning of evil creatures.  
Rumours of the ruthless killing of innocents; of her becoming a folk story in the lore of fearful Nords. Even of the assassination of the Emperor.

It was often reasoned that her Dragon's soul had afflicted her with a lust for bloodshed and death, and that while the darkness in her simmered to the surface more prominently than the light did, she was not essentially evil.

It was a matter of continued debate. Nobody knew the answer.  
Except, maybe, Teldryn Sero; the Redoran Dunmer who so firmly held her affections. The people depended on him to pacify her more than they cared to admit.

'She has chosen a more discreet approach.' Gelebor's face became a little more serious, his vivid eyes making contact with those of Virdanyis. 'Elisif the Fair knows her well. Assuming that she still lives and has not been claimed by age.'

'I suspect she will go to Castle Dour to determine the Empire's stance on the Thalmor situation. There are concerning reports of Thalmor forces amassing their strength outside of Valenwood.'

Unrest was beginning to fester in Skyrim.

It was at times like this that both Gelebor and Virdanyis were grateful that their kingdom was so well hidden; even though there were those who knew that the Snow Elves had begun to return, there were none who were aware of the location of The Vale.

'What do you think they want from us, Gelebor?'

The tone of Virdanyis' voice was low and somber.  
He had been a boy of only thirteen years when The Herald had come riding on the back of Naslaarum to guide him and his fellow elves back to The Vale.  
Although a seasoned warrior now, he had never confronted an enemy of such magnitude.

Gelebor sighed quietly before he began to speak, a small frown furrowing his brow.  
'The Thalmor are elven supremacists. They believe themselves to be the supreme beings on Nirn, and that all others are unworthy. They desire expansion and total control. They are aware of our history; before the Night Of Tears, Falmer society was prosperous. It rivalled or even surpassed their own in its advancement and magical aptitude.'  
He paused, his eyes gazing absently at the surface of the table in front of him.  
'If they know of our return, and of the dragons we control through our queen, I would wager that they will attempt to forge an alliance.'

'I don't think Nysteris would have a favourable view of that.'

'No. And nor should she. They are tyrants.'

There was another long pause as the two men sat consumed by their own restless thoughts.

'And if we refuse their offer of allegiance?'

'Then they will try to take the dragons by force. Along with the rest of Tamriel.'

'It seems that this would not be a good time for our Queen to become with child.'

Gelebor's eyes quickly flickered up from the table to study Virdanyis.  
'Perhaps not,' he said quietly and slowly.  
The older Mer observed him for a while, passing his gaze over the General's blank face.

'Is something about your current engagement troubling you, General?'

'No.' He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the sound of his boots scraping against the stone echoing through the room. 'At least no more than is to be expected under the circumstances.'

His intimate encounter with Nysteris had been uncomfortable.

While there had been no issues with performance, her reluctance had been hard to ignore.  
As she had cried out at her moment of release, he had known that she was thinking of Teldryn.  
And being required to carnally pleasure her was intimidating for him for a number of reasons; not only because she was The Queen and because of his friendship with Teldryn, but because he remembered her as she had been when when they had led the assault on the betrayed in Blackreach: vicious, ruthless, and drenched in the blood of her own corrupted kind.

But he had done his duty. And done it well. As he would be required to again, once every seven days until she was impregnated.

There were worse things to be assigned to.

'The Ambassador is not in The Vale.'

Gelebor's face clouded with a look of concern. 'Is that so? I wasn't informed of his departure.'  
Teldryn had been forbidden from private congress with the queen for the duration of her engagement with the General. The absence of Nysteris and Teldryn coinciding was a bad sign.

Virdanyis laughed quietly, a wide smirk spreading across his face.

'What a surprise.'


	7. Chapter 7: Throw Down

'It has been a while, Dragonborn.'

There was a great, subdued affection in High Queen Elisif's voice as she addressed Nysteris; I stood aside respectfully and watched on as she kneeled at Elisif's feet before the throne.  
Even though her face was concealed beneath the nightingale hood, I could see the gentle benevolence in Nysteris as she bowed her head slowly, becoming still.

'Please, let me see your face.'

She slowly moved her white fingers up to her mask and began to remove the hood; her black hair fell about her shoulders as she pulled it free, raising her face toward the Queen with a small, soft smile on her face as her pale skin glowed in the sconce light.

Elisif slowly reached out to touch her cheek, sighing gently as she made contact with her skin.  
'Still so lovely. You really never change, do you, Nysteris?'

The look of affection on their faces made it a touching and tender moment; I had rarely seen Nysteris show such fond respect for anybody.

'I was barely a young woman when we met. But look at me; this grey hair and wrinkled skin. I am a feeble old woman now.'

'I still see that nervous young lady at her coronation in the Blue Palace all those years ago. You have ruled wisely and strongly ever since that day. You are still beautiful to me, my Queen.'

The expression on the old woman's face was as if she were be holding a long-lost daughter; someone very dear to her.

I knew that Nysteris had strived to protect Elisif from the threat of the uprising during the war all those decades ago, while she had still been a vampire. It would seem that the two of them had formed a strong bond during that time; almost as if Nysteris had acted as her personal guardian.

I couldn't help but smile.  
It was always bittersweet to behold the bonds of friendship between man and Mer; how time ravaged one while leaving the other behind.  
The lives of men burned brightly like a blinding light, only to fade away so soon. It was strange to think that Elisif's entire lifetime, from birth to her death as an old woman, would be finished during only a fraction of my own.

I remembered when Marcurio had died in his seventy-ninth year, with his Breton wife and his children at his bedside in Lakeview Manor as he had peacefully passed away.

The words that my grandmother had spoken to me when I was a boy in Blacklight came to my mind again:  
'Heavy is the burden of a Mer who gives their heart to a Man, for they will watch him wither away and die long before their loving is done.'

'This one is your husband? I never thought I would live to see the day.'

She smiled at me warmly, happiness glowing in her pale eyes. I bowed respectfully, returning her warmth with a kind smile of my own.  
'It is an honour, my queen.'

'My, he is a handsome one.'

'Nysteris smirked, still bowing on one knee. 'Thank you, my queen.'

'Rise.'  
Nysteris stood up straight, the benevolent smile still upon her face.

'What brings you here after all these years?'

'I have problems of my own to address now, my queen.' Her face became somber. 'The unrest in Skyrim threatens my interests.'

'As it does to us all.' Elisif sighed heavily. 'The Thalmor continue to bear down on us as they grow in strength and The Empire weakens.'

'The Empire has weakened?'

Nysteris already knew that it was true. The statement was an invitation for Queen Elisif to elaborate.

I had noticed that despite her affection for the High Queen, Nysteris had not mentioned that she was now a queen herself.  
It was, perhaps, a wise omission.  
The Snow Elves were not yet numerous enough to place their pawn on the board in the cutthroat politics of Tamriel. Their offer of allegiance to House Redoran had been borne of Nysteris' need to secure my honourable release from service; nothing else.

'Indeed.' Elisif's tone became sad as she spoke. 'My subjects have always been reluctant to accept The Empire's rule. After Ulfric Stormcloak's uprising, the seed of dissent has always taken root in their hearts. The Thalmor can sense it and brace for their moment to come and enforce their rule.'

'You must not allow your people to weaken.' Nysteris' voice became a little stronger. 'The Nords are not the only ones to be threatened by The Thalmor's advancement. We will all lose.'

The High Queen turned her troubled face to look at me briefly; I merely smiled softly at her.

'Can we count you among our allies, Dragonborn?'

'As always, my Queen. As I can count you among mine.'

She bowed again, her hair falling over her shoulders and forming a curtain around her face.

'You there.'

I prickled as I recognised the voice ringing out behind me.

Elenwen.

I saw Nysteris stiffen as she straightened herself, not turning her face away from Elisif.

'What is your reason for interrupting the court in this manner?' The High Queen's voice suddenly became sharp and authoritative. Her seasoned strength was showing.

'My most sincere apologies, your highness. I do not mean to offend. We have been looking for your... Friend here for some time now. She is difficult to find.' Elenwen's slightly nasal voice whined through the throne room as she spoke; I turned to look at her, a hard expression of coldness on my face.

'Ambassador.'

'Elenwen.' My voice was a low and hostile growl.  
The two hooded justiciars by her sides glared at me as I scowled at their mistress, their hooded Thalmor robes partially obscuring their faces. 'Fancy seeing you here.'

'No need to be so unfriendly, Teldryn Sero. We merely wish to seek an audience with your Queen.'

'Can you not see that I am busy?' Elisif snapped at her. 'This is most inappropriate. Leave here at once.'

'A thousand pardons, your grace. I should have been clearer. We have come seeking Queen Nysteris.'

The look of confusion and surprise on Elisif's face was profound. She quickly passed her wary gaze between Elenwen and Nysteris as her mouth hung slightly ajar.

'Forgive me, my Queen...'  
I froze as Nysteris slowly began to turn her head over her shoulder, and I saw her eyes.  
They were huge and pale, rimmed with black, the dimly defined pupils as small as pinholes.  
A tiny, almost manic smile cracked her face as she pierced Elenwen with her gaze.  
I had seen the look on her before; when she had been a vampire.

It was a vicious type of thrill. A desire to do harm.

This was not going to go well.

'...I should accommodate our guests.'

Elenwen's eyes became wide as she met her glare and recognised the face.  
'You!' She breathed in shock.

I quickly stepped forward, attempting to prevent a confrontation as a wave of mild panic coursed through me. 'Not here.'  
They both acted as if they hadn't heard me; Elenwen's expression one of indignant rage, and Nysteris wearing one of fevered malice.

'Pardon me, my Queen. We must leave you.' I hurriedly bowed to Elisif as I pushed the door open behind me, standing aside to allow them to pass through.

Nobody moved.

The justiciars slowly reached for their weapons, angry snarls upon their faces.  
Nysteris continued to ignore me, locked in a stare down with Elenwen, the frenzied, vicious smile widening upon her face.

I had thought Nysteris would be fearful upon encountering Elenwen and her entourage; I was wrong.

It was Elisif who eventually broke the tension, slowly standing up and making her way toward the doors. 'Thank you, son.' She held her head high as she left, and as she passed I could see the twinge of fear in her expression that she had been trying to conceal.

'You were looking for me, Elenwen?'  
Nysteris' voice was deceptively calm; it didn't match her expression.

'You can't be the Queen of the Snow Elves. You're the one who slaughtered everybody at my embassy!'

'That was so long ago.' Her evil smile widened. 'Surely you've moved on.'

Elenwen's hand quickly shot out to her side, staying her guards; I gripped the hilt of my sword and quietly dropped into a ready stance.

This could be a disaster. Nysteris killing the Thalmor ambassador in the throne room of the High Queen of Skyrim.  
I felt sweat begin to bead on my forehead as Elenwen's voice broke the silence again.

'Suppose that I have... Moved on. All could be forgiven. There are great benefits to forging a mutually beneficial relationship with the Thalmor. And we are interested.'

'In what, exactly? My dragons?'

'You're quite perceptive, your highness.'

'And what benefit would I receive from this?'

'Our unequivocal support for the continued prosperity of your kingdom. And our allegiance. All we require... Is your cooperation.'

'You will receive no such thing from any kingdom I lead,' she hissed. 'The only way you will ever meet my dragons is while they are levelling your armies to the ground like cut grass.'

The justiciars drew their swords immediately as I began to draw mine; I was about to charge in to attack when Elenwen shouted out over the sound of singing metal.

'Stay your weapons!' She roared.  
All became silent again as she continued.  
A dim glow began to emanate from Nysteris' eyes as she glared at Elenwen viciously, almost goading her on to make the first move.

'We will meet again, Nysteris.'

'I look forward to it.'

I sheathed my sword and exhaled as a sense of relief rolled over me, the heavy doors of the throne room shutting with a dull thud as Elenwen and her justiciars left.

I spoke to Nysteris in a flat, factual tone.

'We need to talk.'


	8. Chapter 8: Glow

'Do we really taste like ash?'

Teldryn was lying on his bedroll, shirtless and picking his teeth with a sliver of bone. He turned his head to give me an inquisitive stare, his red eyes glowing in the light of the campfire as his arm rested behind his head.

I grinned at him as I lowered the thin pipe I was smoking, exhaling as I spoke. 'Yes.' I observed him for a moment, the black hair under his arm creating a dark shadow as his lateral muscles flexed with the movement of his arm.  
He was like a boy sometimes, so full of curiosity and questions. 'Why all the vampire talk?'

'I just want to know. I'll never be able to find out on my own. Hopefully.'

I smirked, tapping the ash from the pipe next to the fire. 'You could always just ask Serana tomorrow. It'd be a good icebreaker.'

'What about Bosmer blood?'

I paused, trying to remember. I didn't encounter many Wood Elves. 'Like moss and iron. Weird.'

'Khajiit?'

'Ugh. Gamey. I'd always end up with a mouth full of cat hair. I only tried that a couple of times when I was desperate.'

'Hah.' He grinned, tossing the bone away into the trees. 'What was your favourite then?'

'Nords.' I gave him a comical snarl, wiggling my eyebrows and licking my teeth. 'Sweet as nectar.'

He snorted, sitting up as he scratched the back of his neck and smiled. 'You monster.'

'Hey, you asked.' I laid down on my back on the bedroll, staring up at the stars as I pondered. 'What about you?'  
He turned his face toward me, a small frown on his face. 'What do you mean?'  
'Don't pretend you don't know.' I smirked as I turned my head to look at him. 'You've got more notches on your bedpost than I've got hairs on my head.'

He shot me a wary glance that almost made me burst out with laughter. 'Why do I feel as if I'm walking into a trap here?'  
'Oh, come on.' I lazily tossed a pebble at him as I smiled. 'Amuse me.'  
He sighed loudly, a sarcastic grin in his face. 'Alright. Ask away.'

'Humans?'

He grinned. 'They're a lot of fun. Very adventurous, but not much staying power. They all seem to think it's very naughty to get down and dirty with a Dunmer. Don't want anybody to find out.'

'What about Mer?'  
There was a mischievous grin creeping across my face. I was enjoying this.  
'Well... A Dunmer woman will keep you up all night until you're aching, then she'll be out the door as soon as you fall asleep to find someone else.'  
He smiled at me as I started laughing, bringing the pipe to my lips to take another long draw. 'It's true what they say about Dunmer then.'

'Every word of it. We're insatiable.' He winked at me.

'Altmer?'

'Boring. They lie there like sea stars.'

I was laughing so much that I started to cough, the smoke sticking in my throat.

'I got drunk once and fucked an Argonian woman on the Windhelm Docks. I barely remember it. Only that it made me feel dirty all over in the morning. If you ever tell anyone, I'll have to kill you.'

I doubled over and rolled on my side, choking on the smoke from the pipe and my own laughter, barely able to breathe. I didn't know if he was joking; I didn't care. I loved these stupid moments.

'It's amazing that your cock hasn't rotted off!' I laughed in between coughs. He laughed, reaching out to put his hand on my side.

'I take offence to that, your highness.' He pinched me playfully under the ribs, making me squeal. 'Just as well it didn't, or you'd have left me decades ago by now.'

'Your favourite?'

'Snow Elves, of course.' He snaked his strong arm underneath my waist and pulled me closer to him, kissing the top of my head.

He had been completely silent on the subject of General Virdanyis.

He knew I had to meet the General in my chambers on a regular basis until the job in question was completed. After seeing his outburst of jealousy before it had begun, I had decided it was not wise to raise the issue.

I knew that Teldryn had met with Virdanyis after the first engagement; to my mild surprise, they still seemed to be on friendly terms, albeit more awkward than it used to be.  
Gelebor would have known by now that Teldryn had left The Vale at the same time as I had. He wouldn't have been happy.

'Maybe you should remind me why, my love.' He purred in my ear and gave my breast a playful squeeze.

I grinned and turned on my side to face him, rubbing my nose against his.  
I loved being out alone in the wilderness with him, away from the formalities and pressures of The Vale. It made me feel as though we were still carefree and irresponsible, adventuring through the dangerous landscape, killing bandits and looting chests.

There was so much to fear for; so many great uncertainties and foreboding unknowns. The future seemed so dark and frightening to me sometimes.  
But while I was with him here and now, none of it mattered to me. I was just me, and he was Teldryn, and we loved each other.

I suddenly felt him freeze and stiffen as his head snapped to face toward the darkness, his face becoming serious and alert.

I instantly sat up, my eyes scanning the darkness and my ears straining to listen for the noise.

It was then that I saw it; I could barely make it out through the darkness.

Big, amber brown eyes and narrow, pointed ears. A long, twisted braid of dirty brown hair; clothing made of animal hide and dark, tribal tattoos.

A Bosmer archer, perched high up in the trees, a small, curious grin upon her face as she stared down at us from her great height.

I quickly jumped up and reached for my bow and quiver. But before I could grab them, she had bounced away into the trees, leaping up with such agility and swiftness that it seemed as if she was propelled by great metal springs.

'Laas Yah Nir!'

The crimson glow of her fleeing form lit up in the darkness, flitting from tree to tree as she nimbly leaped from branch to branch.

I nocked an arrow and tensed the bow, aiming for her back as she fled through the high branches of the forest; but it was too late. She was gone.

I scowled as I lowered the bow, still glaring into the darkness as Teldryn stood up next to me. I grabbed his hand and sent a soft current of magic down my arm so that he could see it too.

'There. A Wood Elf scout.'

He frowned as he watched the faint glow disappear into the distance.

The Bosmer were part of the Thalmor forces. It wasn't hard to figure out why the scout had been watching us.  
She must have intended for us to see her. Bosmer were impossible to detect when they tried to remain hidden. They were masters of sneaking and stealth.

'We should get moving.'

Teldryn's voice was low and serious as he continued to stare out into the darkness, the fire crackling as the wind hissed quietly through the trees.

I was angry. Elenwen had wasted no time in attempting to track us back to The Vale.

'Nysteris...'

I was surprised at the tone of Teldryn's voice; it was soft and quiet, full of surprise.  
I turned to face him, a furrow in my brow as I looked at his expression.

He was wide-eyed and taken aback; his lips were slightly parted as he stared at my belly.

I followed his gaze, confused; it was then that I saw it.

The tiniest speck of crimson glow, warmly burning like a little candle flame in my stomach.

I was stunned. The sounds of the forest around me faded away as I stared down at it in shock.

It had happened. The Life Seek aura had revealed its presence.

I was now carrying the life of another within me.


	9. Chapter 9: Sacrifice

I was gripped by a feverish excitement, tempered by the smallest hint of hesitation and confusion.

She was pregnant. The words kept circulating in my head, as though I were making a grandiose announcement to myself. I still couldn't quite believe it. Some Mer went for their entire lives without being granted such a thing; where humans could have five or more children during their short lifetimes, most Mer went to their graves having borne only one. Two, if they were lucky or blessed.

I had to keep reminding myself to calm down; the child she carried may not even be mine. Even though she had only been with Virdanyis once, great measures had been taken to make sure that it would be a fruitful union.

But I was still firmly convinced that the odds were in my favour.

I was excited that I wouldn't have to sit around and get drunk in the freezing cold drinking hall anymore, surrounded by pale and unfamiliar faces and inappropriately soothing music while Nysteris was bedding one of my friends. That had been just awful.

I was thrilled by the idea of having a beautiful, fiery daughter or a strong and fierce son. Maybe one of each. Maybe two sons or two daughters. Nysteris was a twin. Twins ran in families. Didn't they?  
And would they be Dragonborn? What would they look like? I was fairly certain that there had never been a mixed child of Dunmer and Falmer blood before. Or of Falmer and any other race, considering how exclusive and rare they were.

I almost squealed with excitement like a woman receiving a marriage proposal. I wanted to scoop Nysteris up in my arms and whisk her away to Blacklight, where I could pamper her in a grand home and show off my achievements to all the jealous men and envious women. And my parents... Geldis! Oh, Geldis. How I would gloat.

I reached out to sweep her into my arms and kissed her deeply on the lips, my chest swelling with happiness and pride.

'Oh, sera,' I mumbled as I pressed my lips against her, smiling as my hand slid down to rest on her belly. 'I love you. I couldn't be any happier at this moment.'

She pushed against me with her hands, looking up at me with an expression of shock and wary hesitation on her face.

A small moment of silence passed between us as I stood there with her in my arms.  
I frowned a little as she slowly pulled herself out of my embrace. 'What?' I said flatly as I gave her a cautious glance.

The tiny spark of light in her belly died out as the effect of the Aura Whisper faded away.

'Do not invest too heavily in this, Teldryn.'

My heart sank as I looked into her eyes and saw it.

She didn't want this. She never had.

She had agreed to it because she had felt that it was her duty, and because pressure was being applied to her to produce an heir. Whether the baby was mine or the General's made little difference to her. She was still being pushed into having a baby.

I felt like a monster. I had just been another source of pressure.

I realised now that trying to plant my seed in her instead of allowing Virdanyis to carry out his duty was serving my own wishes over anything else.

In my mind, I had somehow come to the conclusion that bearing my child would be what she wanted. But it was only a slightly less traumatising approach to an undesired goal.

I could see now that if she were not under duress, she would not have become pregnant at all.

Tears began to shimmer in her eyes as she looked up at me, and her lip began to tremble.

My heart plummeted and shattered from the great heights of unbridled joy to the painful depths of guilt and burning shame. I, the one she had trusted and loved; the one she had exposed her kingdom and returned from the cold emptiness of the void for. I had done this to her.

There was a seed growing inside of her, and she could do nothing to stop it. In her own body. I remembered when she had told me about how she had been turned to vampirism against her will; Her physical being changed and altered beyond her control and without her consent.

_What have I done?_

'Nysteris... I... I'm...' I stammered.

She softly began to cry, burying her face in my chest.

It was painful to embrace her. I felt the sobs wracking her body as she wept.

Not once had I ever heard her cry before; It was excruciating. A pain unlike any other I had experienced during my life. I had never imagined for a moment that it would be like this when the time came.

'...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... How could you ever forgive me...'

I should have been able to see the signs before now. Of her reluctance. How she had allowed her sense of duty to eclipse her own wishes. Of how she had struggled with the concept of sacrificing her will for the good of her kingdom.

It had only been a matter of time.


	10. Chapter 10: Adrift

_The Queen of The Snow Elves has been identified as "The Dragonborn" who was of significant prominence 66 years past, an uncorrupted female Falmer by the name of Nysteris Agarwen. Responsible for the infiltration attack in the Thalmor Embassy around the same time. Of atypical appearance and easy to recognise due to her race: black hair of considerable length, blue eyes, medium height, slim build. Age cannot be determined; appears young. Often travels with face obscured._  
_Known affiliations with High Queen Elisif; Dark Brotherhood; Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath Hold; Thieve's guild in Riften; the court of Whiterun; First councillor Morvayn of Raven Rock in Solstheim._  
_Almost always seen in the company of a Dunmer male going by the name of Teldryn Sero. Strong affiliations with House Redoran. Former Captain of the Redoran Guard. Ambassador to the Snow Elf Kingdom and consort to the queen. Alliances between the New Falmer Kingdom and House Redoran seem to be reliant solely on him and his relationship to the queen._  
_Above average height. Estimated age approximately 100 years. Dark grey skin tone. Red eyes (vivid). Short facial hair. Medium to heavy build. Distinctive dark blue Dunmeri facial tattoos. Black hair in crested style, shaved sides._  
_Known affiliations with Redoran Guard; Solstheim; Blacklight; Windhelm (Gray Quarter)._  
_ Both are to be considered hostile and are to be approached with extreme caution._  
_Diplomatic discussions with Queen Nysteris in Solitude were unsuccessful. No further negotiations are considered appropriate at this time._

_Surveillance has been dispatched to trace her movements. Particular interest is focused on Teldryn Sero as potential target for involuntary retention as a negotiation tool._

_The location of the Falmer Kingdom is suspected to be near the border of Skyrim in Haafingar Hold. Confirmation needed._  
_The queen's voluntary compliance is essential to securing her allegiance and access to her dragons. Incentives to comply may be utilised once confirmation of the location of the kingdom is obtained and/or the capture of her consort has been achieved._

_The two dragons under her control are of unique appearance and will be targeted with tracking spells if they are seen, to reveal the location of their home._  
_Messages detailing progress to follow at regular intervals._

_Please brief all justiciars on correct protocol regarding this matter._

_Elenwen_  
_First Emissary in Skyrim_

I was numb as I read the neatly inked letter, the freezing wind peppering my hair with snow. The five bloodied corpses of the Thalmor messenger envoy lay still at my feet, their robes rustling in the icy breeze.

There was no way I could return to The Vale now.

Or Solitude; or Whiterun; or Falkreath.

Even Naslaarum and Voslaarum, my beautiful dragons, my avatars; I could not call them.

For the first time in the thousands of years since I had left The Vale as a naive young girl seeking revenge on Ysgramor, I felt the true burden of conflict, the true fear of loss.  
The most excruciating agony of loneliness and despair.

I was with child, unable to return to my people and my homeland; without my dragons. And Teldryn was wrought with misery and guilt; he was all that I had left.  
And it was him who the Thalmor were targeting. Trying to wield him as a blackmail tool to force me to bend my knee.  
I heard his footsteps crunch in the snow as he came up behind me, gently placing his hand on the small of my back as he took the letter from my hands and began to read it.

I heard him release a small, exasperated sigh as he finished reading.

'At least we got to it before it reached the Summerset Isles.'

I needed to warn Gelebor and Virdanyis; I needed to get back to The Vale; I needed to protect Teldryn.

It was strange to me.

In the beginning, I had hired him to protect me.  
But now the tables had turned. I was more than capable of defending myself. I had my thu'um, my power, my dark allies.

But Teldryn, no matter how capable, was just a man. And if he was captured... I couldn't bear the thought of the choice I would be forced to make.

I couldn't risk calling Naslaarum or Voslaarum to me. The portal in Darkfall Passage and Darkfall Cave had long since been closed to prevent access to The Vale.

If I called Odahviing or Durnehviir to take us home, they would be attacked and killed by the avatars; no amount of intervention on my part could prevent it.

For a moment, I thought about what would happen if I did give my allegiance to the Aldmeri Dominion.

I remembered the White-Gold Concordat; how the empire had been forced to agree to its terms under threat of annihilation.

It had been necessary to preserve the safety of Skyrim. Pride, it had been decided, was not worth the loss of life.  
I had come this far and sacrificed this much; maybe it was time for me to swallow my pride.

'Where do we go now?'

His voice was quiet and subdued. Broken.

I needed to make a decision.

There was not much time.

I took a long time to answer him as I tried to push my mind to function through my despair; he did not make a sound.

'We need... We're going to the Thalmor Embassy. We need to kill them all... Leave none of them standing. No witnesses. And we need to kill Elenwen.'

'Sera.' His voice was still quiet and sad; though I felt for him, I was in no position to help him right now. 'You should think about this.'

'We have Elenwen's report. Once we clear the embassy, there will be nobody left who knows about this. The information will never reach the Summerset Isles. And when they find the bodies, nobody will know that it was us.'

'We could die.' He looked down at the dead Altmer in the snow, his face sad and still. 'We can't stop all of the scouts and spies. Where will we go? They know everything about us; we either lead them to The Vale, or they track us down somewhere else.'

'They don't know everything.'

I had not wanted to revisit my undead past; it was a time of great darkness. The memories were distressing and traumatising.

But my options were running out.  
I had already intended to visit Serana tomorrow.  
I knew it was a case of drowning in the river to avoid the fire; but I saw no other way.

'Castle Volkihar. They will never find us there. We can ask Serana for asylum until we know what to do next.'

'Are you serious?' His eyes widened. 'You've told me about that place. The Daughters of Coldharbour. You said that they worship Molag Bal; the one who tried to claim your soul.'

I knew how it sounded. He was right to be apprehensive.

'We can trust Serana.' My voice lowered to a whisper. 'It's the others we need to be wary of.'


	11. Chapter 11: Surprises

Reeking Cave.

What an apt name.

I screwed my face up in disgust as the vile stench of rotting flesh and troll excrement assaulted my nostrils.

'Ugh. Careful,' I whispered to Nysteris in a low and quiet voice. 'The troll could come home at any moment.'  
Broken bones and tattered cloth lay scattered around in the filthy snow slurry. A raw and bloody skeleton lay cast aside in a corner, picked clean of flesh and organs and the larger bones crushed to reach the marrow inside.

Nysteris stood underneath a dark hole in the cave ceiling, looking straight up as she quietly scanned the moss-lined walls.  
'Up there,' she said quietly, the nightingale hood and mask draped low around her neck as she spoke. 'Through the trapdoor.'

I sighed while I watched her create a ball of Mage Light as she studied the long drop, her head moving slightly from side to side as she looked for footholds or a place to anchor an arrow.

I was certain that this was a bad idea.  
The Thalmor were like flies. If you killed one, two more would take its place. But then I supposed that we weren't waging a two-man war on the Thalmor anyway; just eliminating the ones who knew of The Vale and of our wanted status.

Nysteris had been quiet and distant ever since her pregnancy had been revealed. She was not hostile toward me; but had become strangely detached.  
It felt as if suddenly, we had regressed to a mercenary and patron relationship again. She called the shots, and I obediently followed orders. The truth was that I felt too guilt-ridden and ashamed to question her at this point; I was merely waiting for her to show a sign that she had at least partly forgiven me, and was ready to accept my apologies and supportive affection again.  
Regardless of how she felt about her delicate condition, I was still driven by a strong need to protect her and the baby, even though I knew that she could take care of herself.

The Bosmer scout we had seen in the woods had triggered her paranoia. The words of her Seek Life thu'um, as she called it, were never far from her lips, her eyes constantly darting around her as she searched for scouts and spies.

I was grateful that I could not see that little spark of life growing inside of her every time she whispered the words I had become so familiar with: Laas Yah Nir. It would have broken my heart.  
I didn't know what she was going to do with that tiny, faint glow of light. The uncertainty terrified me.

I was yearning for her to allow me to break the ice between us so that I could know her mind; support her as I should, and longed to. But she remained closed to me, a cold concentration and strategic mind taking control of her thoughts as she considered her next moves.

'Wait here,' she whispered to me as she placed a lockpick between her teeth and suddenly leaped straight upwards, her feet running up the side of the wall for the briefest moment before she splayed her arms and legs to brace herself in the passage. I watched on in mild surprise as she disappeared up the shaft, only the slightest scraping noise upon the mossy walls as she ascended; the quiet squeaks and metallic clicks from her picking the lock on the trapdoor followed soon after.

I sometimes forgot that she had been a thief and an assassin, and was very good at both of those dark occupations. She had decades of experience in her fields, if not centuries. This was the way she operated best: from the shadows.

'Laas Yah Nir.' I heard her whisper the words again as the sound of the lock picking stopped, and the tiniest creak from the opening trapdoor echoed down to me.

And then; silence.  
Long moments passed; the sound of the water dripping from the ceiling of the cave suddenly seemed so loud.  
I was almost expecting to see the filthy homeowner of this rancid pit come in dragging his knuckles through the mud, hoping to find another free meal waiting at the bottom of the trapdoor tunnel.

A short, heavy thud broke the silence from above, soon followed by another.  
Bodies dropping to the ground.

The faint sobbing of a woman, which became suddenly hushed.

The waiting was killing me. I didn't know if I was supposed to stay down here, or whether she was going to bring me inside with her. In any case, I wasn't going be able to get up to that trap door on my own.  
I'd learned my lesson about being told to wait while Nysteris was in the throes of conflict before, in Skuldafn.

I'd spent the next sixty years regretting it with every fibre of my being.

It wasn't long before I heard the trapdoor open, and a length of coarse rope tumbled down from the blackness, bouncing slightly as it became still.  
I was about to grab it to climb up when I noticed movement at the top of the tunnel. As I looked up at the light of the opening, I saw a Nord woman's face, and a man's, dirty and streaked with tears, expressions of fear consuming them.

I stood back in surprise as they gingerly lowered themselves down onto the rope, one after the other, their tattered rough spun clothes almost falling from their emaciated frames. The glint of light from the elven weapons they carried was overshadowed by the makeshift cloth bundles of coins, made from the torn lining of elven armour.

'Teldryn,' I heard Nysteris whisper. 'Guide them out.'

The action was unexpected.

I had not been anticipating any survivors from the embassy. It was surprising to me that she had gone to the effort to rescue these people, even going so far as to loot the bodies of the guards she had killed to equip them, and apparently giving them coin of her own to aid them as they fled.  
While I was pleasantly surprised by it, I was also a little confused. She was not prone to acts compassion, particularly toward Nords. Such displays of mercy from her always seemed to be enacted at a whim and were entirely unpredictable.

I held my arms out and nodded slightly to the woman, bracing myself to catch her as she released the rope.  
'You should leave quickly, sera,' I murmured to her as I lowered her feet onto the ground. 'The troll will find you if the Thalmor don't.'

She nodded at me fearfully as I quickly pointed toward the light of the exit, turning my attention toward the man who was now climbing down, reaching up to grasp his extended hand to support his drop.

'Stay away from the hold capitals for a while. Bribe the inn keepers to keep you hidden.'

'We owe you our lives, strangers. If I ever see you again...' His thick Nordic accent trailed off as he looked around the cave, seeing the grisly remains and filth.  
'Shhh! Go now. Time is of the essence.'  
I turned to watch them leave before gritting my teeth and jumping up to grab the rope dangling from the trapdoor to hoist myself up; no easy task wearing armour and carrying weapons. I winced as the tip of my scabbard scraped against the wall as I climbed.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me up, the burning pinholes of light where her eyes were hidden beneath her hood boring into me as she whispered.

'Stay down in here until I come for you, or you hear the fighting. If you come with me now, you'll give us away.'

'You can't take them all out on your own, Nysteris. Do you really think that Elenwen wouldn't have planned for extra security after pissing you off? You've trashed this place before.'

'Exactly. I know what to do. Everything will be fine for as long as I stay hidden. And then, I'll have you.'

'Oh, Azura... Is that a Thalmor wizard?!'

'Yes. A dead one. As I say again: as long as I stay hidden.' She tilted her head toward the dead Altmer on the ground as she crouched, her hand briefly touching the hilt of her dagger before reaching to her back to get her Daedric bow. 'Put those hooded robes on. Throw the bodies down the trap door.'

I noted with some sense of admiration that she had struck the wizard in the eye with her arrow; the head was buried deep within his brain. As a result, there was no blood or damage on the robes. Clever.

'I'll come back for you once I've cleared the path to Elenwen's quarters. If you see any embassy staff, kill them. Even the maids.'

I frowned as I watched her nimbly and silently skip up the stairs and out of sight, bow in hand.

Save the prisoners, but kill the innocent servants? Ugh. Whatever. I instantly hoped that none of them would come calling.

I grabbed the dead wizard by the armpits and slowly began to drag him toward the entrance to the trap door.  
I'd already stripped the body and was naked from the waist up when a heard a quiet, sharp hiss.

'Psst. Hey, you. Dunmer.'

A female voice, high-pitched and bright.  
I instantly drew my sword and spun around, startled, my eyes quickly sweeping back and forth across the cells and walls as I tried to locate the source.

'Woah! Relax. I'm on your side. I just want to talk.'

'Show yourself,' I growled, still braced, becoming frustrated with my inability to find where the voice was coming from.

'No way. You'll kill me.'

'Why would I do that? You said you just wanted to talk, didn't you? How am I supposed to decide whether I'll do that if I can't even see you?' My eyes shifted from side to side, watching for the slightest trace of movement.

'You can hear me just fine from here.' The voice paused. 'Teldryn, right? Pleased to meet you. Nice abs.'

'You aren't making a good first impression, young lady.' I growled. 'Now, either you come out where I can see you, or I'll get Nysteris to drag you out. It'll only take a whisper to show us where you are.'

'Shit! No no no, wait... Please. I'm risking my life by being here too.'

'Yes, you are, sera. And you put it more at risk for every second you stay hidden.'

I heard her sigh. 'Please... Don't kill me.'

I saw a small shadow drop down from an impossibly tiny hatch in the ceiling; before she touched the ground, I grabbed her by the throat with my left hand and slammed her against the wall.

She was just a girl. A Bosmer, no older than eighteen or nineteen years.  
Her slanted, dark amber eyes widened in terror as she looked into mine, her mouth hanging slightly open.  
I recognised her; the scout who had watched us from the trees three nights ago.  
'You.' The sound emerged from me in a snarl as I loosened my grip around her neck and pressed the flat edge of my blade against her skin. 'I should have known.'

'Wait,' she coughed quietly, her hands trembling as she slowly raised them. 'I know what you're thinking. I'm not with the Thalmor.'

'You expect me to believe that?' I whispered, my eyes widening. 'I'm insulted.'

'They killed my entire family.' The big brown eyes began to glaze over with tears of sadness and fear. 'I only want to help you. Malborn said that the Dragonborn was an enemy to the Thalmor, and the Thalmor said the Dragonborn was the key to winning the war...' She tried to stop herself from crying. 'I saw you in the woods. I saw you save those prisoners. I followed you after you fought with Elenwen in Solitude. I know you're not evil, but I was afraid that Nysteris would kill me... Please... I'm sorry...'

A twinge of pity flowed through me as I removed my hand from her neck.

'They really need to do something about the security in this place,' I murmured. 'Why should I trust you? Why did you wait until now?'

'Because I can help you.'

She reached into her satchel and produced ten tightly-wound scrolls, each with a Thalmor wax seal.

'I collected these from Elenwen's couriers and messenger birds. There aren't any more; I killed them. They were being sent back to the Summerset Isles and to the hold capitals of Skyrim.'

I warily eyed her as I unfurled one of the scrolls; it was a copy of Elenwen's report.

'What is your name, little one?'

'Aerinda.'

'Well... Aerinda. You're not off the hook yet.' I took the scrolls from her and put them in my pocket as I reached down to pick up the Thalmor robes. 'We'll see what happens when you meet the Dragonborn.'

'Oh... Um, congratulations, by the way...'

'Watch it.'


	12. Chapter 12: Responsible

It was easier the second time around.

For all of their arrogance and their claims of supremacy, the Thalmor were amazingly dim. The entire compound had now been cleared of vermin, save for Elenwen herself; not one of them had been aware of my presence, even when the bleeding carcasses of their colleagues had hit the ground in the room next to them, embedded with arrows. I was quite proud of the progress I'd made since I had last been here over 60 years ago.

Elenwen was asleep. I hadn't decided how I was going to kill her yet. I was getting excited about it, like a child about to attend a fete.

Would I fill her with terror? Torture her a little? Maybe I could slit her throat while she slept. Or I could even bend her will and watch on as I made her do it herself. Burn her? Freeze her? Disintegrate her? Slowly drain her vitality and taunt her as she faded away...  
For the most fleeting moment, I wished that I was a vampire again. If there was ever anybody I would have loved to sink my teeth into, it was Elenwen.

Maybe I'd just sit in her room and wait until she woke up to freak her out and then bury an arrow in her eye.  
I was spoilt for choice.

I sighed. It probably wasn't a good idea to get too carried away. Bad things always happened when distractions took over.

In any case, Teldryn was still waiting down in the dungeons and had been there for some time. Hopefully wearing the Thalmor robes I'd told him to put on.  
I wondered if he'd be annoyed when he learned that I'd only made him do it to keep him occupied. And because I wanted to see how he looked in them.  
Thalmor robes can look very attractive sometimes on the right person.

No matter. Focus.

I gripped my dagger and pushed open the door to Elenwen's quarters as I strode confidently toward the bed, my footsteps muffled by the Nightingale boots.

She gave an irritated snarl, her eyes still closed as I hopped up onto her bed, sitting lightly on her stomach as I rested my elbows on my knees.

'Get out, you dog! You only come into my bed when summoned!'

I smirked, not moving. It wasn't surprising that she slept with her guards.

She opened her eyes with an expression of anger on her face, just as I gripped her neck hard with my left hand and gave her a deliberately crazed grin. 'Good morning. Hold still.'  
Her face blanched with terror as her eyes became wide with shock and fear; I pressed the blade of the ebony dagger hard against the skin of her throat and applied strong pressure as I dragged it slowly to the right, watching with an orgasmic satisfaction as the blood began to bubble out from the lengthening cut. I squeezed her neck harder as she fought to buck me off, smiling widely as I lowered my face close to hers.

'You're terrible at your job.' I saw the life begin to fade from her eyes as I spoke. 'You handed me your head on a silver platter, you dim-witted Thalmor lackey. Just a bit too sure of yourself.' The blood began to soak the sheets around us as her struggling and gurgling ceased; my knees became saturated and warm with it.  
I smiled with a thrilled satisfaction as she exhaled her last breath, her blanched lips becoming still and her eyes becoming unfocused as she died beneath me.

I took a few moments to bask in it.

Everything had gone better than expected. Everyone was dead; guards, justiciars, wizards, staff. Finished.

I pondered for a short while as I stared down at Elenwen's corpse, my lips slightly pursed as I was thinking.  
'Hmm. I don't think I'm done with you yet.'

'Teldryn,' I called out as I entered the torture room. 'It's all done. We have to go.'

'Shhhh!' I heard him hiss from down the stairs.  
'You don't have to worry about that now.' I quickly skipped down the staircase as I held on to the hand rail. 'Come on, Elenwen.' My voice was bright and happy. 'Don't dawdle.'

Elenwen's reanimated corpse obediently followed me down the staircase, an occasional bubbling hiss emerging from her opened throat.  
I saw Teldryn emerge from around the corner, his red eyes glowing from beneath the hood of the Thalmor wizard's robes. I smiled at him as he sighed upon seeing Elenwen.

'Really?' He said in a droll tone as I reached him. 'You really just couldn't leave it there like all the others?'

'She's fine with it. Aren't you, Elenwen?' I grinned at the corpse as it stood there silently, mouth ajar as blood dripped onto the wooden floorboards.  
'That is just... Is it really necessary?' He sighed loudly. 'Fine. You can keep it. But you're responsible for it.'

I smiled as I slid my arms around his waist and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him; he tensed a little with surprise before resting his hands on my waist and gently returning the gesture.  
I felt him exhale gently as his tension melted away; as if he'd been holding out for it.  
'You look nice in your robes.'  
'Well. I'm glad I could be of some use to you.' I felt him smile as he kissed me.  
I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders now that the embassy had been cleared. I knew it wasn't the end of my problems; but the darker part of me had been appeased by the slaughter. It was the triumphant satisfaction of vengeance being sated.  
I'd left Teldryn in the dungeon in case things went wrong. It was the risk of his capture which terrified me much more than the possibility of dying. Knowing that he had made it through the onslaught untouched was a blessed relief.

'Before we go, sera,' he said in an unusually gentle voice, 'I have something that I need to show you.'

I pulled away from him and frowned a little, warily staring up at his face. Elenwen moaned in the background.  
'What is it?' My tone was flat and neutral.

He reached into his robes to pull something out of them; a bunch of scrolls of varying sizes. I felt a wave of foreboding as I took one of them from him and noticed the Thalmor wax seal upon its surface before I unfurled it.

Elenwen's report.

I felt a sickening knot form in the pit of my stomach as I quickly unfurled another one, and then another, seeing the same words written on each of them.  
Had I really been so stupid as to think that Elenwen would only send one?  
'No...' I whispered, feeling a sense of panic rise within me. 'Where did you find these?'

'Sera,' he said again, his voice still a soft and gentle purr. 'Please don't be fearful. There are no more of them outside of the embassy.' He paused for a moment, watching my face until he could see me begin to calm myself. 'These were collected from Elenwen's couriers and messenger birds. They were destined for the hold capitals and for the Summerset Isles. There are no more, and their carriers are dead. You will find Elenwen's dispatch orders in there too; all of the reports are accounted for.'

'Where did you get them?' I whispered, my eyes desperately searching his face. His calmness was disconcerting.

He waited for a few seconds, his eyes calmly watching my face.  
'Do you love me, sera?'

I frowned a little, surprised. 'Yes.'

'And do you trust me?'

I was becoming nervous and guarded. This was out of character. I took a step backwards, almost bumping into Elenwen as I spoke again.

'...yes.'

'Then as your beloved and trusted companion, my darling, I ask that you hear me out and reserve your judgement. And stay your hand.'

A rush of fear flowed through my body.

He turned his head slightly, his face becoming partially obscured by the Thalmor robes.

'Come out now, little one. Slowly.'

My breath caught in my chest and my hand instantly flew for my bow as a small figure emerged from around the corner.

I felt Teldryn's hand quickly shoot out to grip my wrist. 'Please,' he said in a soft, pleading tone.

I felt the shock flare within me as the wood elf scout I had seen in the trees three nights before emerged from the shadows.

I wrenched my wrist from Teldryn's grasp and grabbed my dagger, its blade still slick with Elenwen's blood.  
The girl whimpered and instantly fled to hide behind Teldryn's back, her dirty fingers clinging onto his arm. She peered out from behind his elbow, her eyes filled with unadulterated fear and glistening with moisture.  
'Teldryn,' I hissed at him through clenched teeth as he calmly stood with his arms folded, allowing the scout to hide behind him. The painful sense of betrayal tore through me. 'What are you doing?!'

'This girl is the one who intercepted those reports.' He raised one eyebrow at me as he smoothly continued to speak. 'She came here to help us get rid of the Thalmor. She doesn't work for them.'

'How could you fall for that?!' I was enraged, overcome with disbelief. 'We saw her watching us and she's here in the Thalmor Embassy! Elenwen could have simply handed her those reports and told her to give you that story! I can't believe you could be so stupid!'

'Elenwen's dead now. So is anybody who the girl may have answered to.' His voice was still impossibly calm. 'This one has a story not unlike your friend, Malborn. It was he who inspired her to come and find us after the Thalmor slaughtered her entire family.'

I stopped at the sound of Malborn's name.

I had forgotten that not all of the Bosmer were allied with the Thalmor. There were many who had reason to hate them.

I looked at the girl. She was so young and small, and filled with terror. Tears streaked her dirty face; her lip trembled as she gazed up at me, an intense and hysterical fear in her eyes.

'She risked her life to come here and help us.' Teldryn looked at me with a solemn confidence in his eyes; an expectation that I would do the right thing.

I turned my focus back to the girl as I sheathed my dagger. 'You. Step forward.'  
Teldryn gently placed his hand on her back as he guided her toward me; she looked up at him in fear before focusing on me again, her hands trembling.

I glared down at her as she stood in front of me, the tears shimmering in her eyes.  
She was incapacitated with terror; like a rabbit before a wolf.

'Why did you do this?' I asked her in a low voice.

'I... I...' She stammered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

'Be gentle with her, sera. She's just a girl. Like you were once.'

I got the distinct impression that Teldryn felt sorry for her.  
He had always been soft like that.

'What did you think we'd do when you approached us? Why didn't you make yourself known to us before?'

'Nysteris, please. Look at her. She's so scared that she can't even speak. She thinks you're going to kill her.'

I looked up at Teldryn again; his expression was pained and pleading. Begging me to be merciful.

I looked down at the little Bosmer girl again, my stare burning into her.

'What is her name?'  
'Aerinda.'

I allowed a moment of silence to pass before I spoke; my voice was calmer now.

'Thank you, Aerinda.'

I heard Teldryn exhale.

The girl fell to her knees in front of me, emotionally drained.

I quickly turned on my heel and began to walk away, gripping by bow and nocking an arrow as I spoke. 'Come on, Teldryn. We're going.' I turned around and shot an arrow at Elenwen's carcass; it made a choked gasp as it crumbled into a pile of luminescent blue ash.

Aerinda screamed and grabbed onto Teldryn's arm; I ignored her and kept walking, speaking at the same time.

'We're taking Odahviing to Castle Volkihar.'

'As you wish, Sera.' He paused, his voice still gentle and soft. 'What about Aerinda?'

'...fine. You can keep it. But you're responsible for it.'


	13. Chapter 13: Parting

I watched on awkwardly as Nysteris fell on to her hands and knees in the snow, holding her arm across her stomach as she retched and coughed.

It was the second time she'd vomited since we'd emerged from the embassy. The effects of her pregnancy were beginning to show.

The first time it had happened, I had rushed to her side and placed a hand on her back to comfort her, but she had gently pushed me away. I felt helpless, and useless.  
I had waited with some trepidation for the sickness to begin. I feared that it would be another reason for her to consider an attempt at freeing herself from her condition. There seemed to be so many of those already.  
I still had no idea what she intended to do. Or even if she was considering her options. She had been carrying on as though nothing had happened, and since I was not the one who would be forced to bear the weight of the consequences of any decision she made, I dared not question her.  
Aerinda stood next to me very closely, her fingers pinching the edge of my robes as though she were afraid break physical contact with me.  
'I've got something that can fix that,' she said softly.  
'Do you now?' I said, looking down at her with a slight smile as I tried to conceal my worry. 'You're proving to be quite useful. I'm feeling like a bit of a fifth wheel here.'

'Which part did you want fixed?' She said quietly, her slanted eyes furtively looking up at me as she clung to my robe. 'The sickness? Or...'  
My eyes widened in horror as I caught on to what she was implying.

'What!' I said as I stared at her in shock. 'What are you suggesting?!'

'No no no, listen... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.' She looked embarrassed as her cheeks blushed. 'She just seems a bit... Unhappy about it, that's all.'  
'Hmm. You've been a busy little spy.'

She ignored me as she continued. 'Look. Nearly every Bosmer knows how to use plants and herbs to remedy any condition that you can think of. The girls in Valenwood would use them to stop themselves from getting pregnant all the time. And to fix an unwanted pregnancy. It's not unusual at all. I've done it.'  
'You Bosmer mustn't suffer from the same limited fertility as the rest of us Mer, then.'  
'Well... No, not really. But we take special measures to make sure our population stays sustainable. We're all carnivores, remember. We're expected to be responsible.'  
'Ah, yes, that's right... You're cannibals.' I frowned as I watched Nysteris haul up another mouthful of vomit.  
'Why does everybody always bring that up?' She sighed angrily.

'It isn't up to me to make that decision for her, little one.' My voice was low and serious. 'But if you'd share some of your remedies for dealing with the sickness and other unpleasantness, I'd be very grateful. And impressed.' I smiled at her and mussed her hair as she gave me a cheeky grin and began digging around in her leather satchel.

I'd barely met her, but her presence was a bright and uplifting comfort to me at a time when I seemed to be perpetually surrounded by darkness and uncertainty.  
She was a typical Wood Elf, from what I knew: lively, energetic and bright, with an irrepressible aura of mischief and curiosity. And her youth made her seem so cute and vulnerable. Despite that, it must have taken great bravery for her to come as far as she had, knowing what we were and what we intended to do.

I liked Bosmer. While they were relatively uncommon in Skyrim compared to Altmer and Dunmer, or anywhere outside of Valenwood, the few I had known had invariably been friendly, vibrant, witty, optimistic, and unpretentious. They harboured no prejudice or malice - for the most part - and made excellent hunters, although they were slightly prone toward becoming professional thieves.  
I just couldn't come to terms with the cannibalism. It seemed so out of character. And horrific.

Aerinda picked up my hand and pushed a bunch of dried herbs into my palm. 'Here. Give her this.'

'I thought you weren't allowed to use plants.'

'It's ok if they're not from Valenwood... Sort of.'

I smirked at her as I broke away, making my way toward Nysteris as she lay curled up on her side in the snow.  
It would have been an alarming sight had she been anything but Falmer. But the cold was soothing to her, and she wallowed in it to calm her nausea.

I smiled briefly at the thought of how vastly different the three of us were; it almost seemed as if we were from entirely different worlds.

'Take this, sera. It will ease your sickness. We can't lay around in the snow all day waiting for more Thalmor to show up.'

She looked up at me; her face was pure, wretched gloom. I almost felt a sympathetic twinge of nausea at the sight of it.

'Oh, Dagon... Look at you. A picture of misery.' I gently took her by the wrist and helped her up, putting the herbs in her hand as I did so. She instantly clapped her palm over her mouth and grimaced slightly as she swallowed the crushed and dried leaves.

'I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be infused into a brew.' Her face screwed up a little as she gently walked into my arms, resting her head upon my chest as she exhaled.

'You should let me look after you.' I kissed the top of her head and mumbled into her hair as I slowly stroked her back. 'You don't have to do it all on your own. I'm just waiting for your word.'  
'I know.' Her voice was quiet and wavered from the sickness. 'I'll lean on you when I need to.' She glanced up at me through the nausea, a small, faint smile upon her lips. 'But we need to leave this place. We should deal with your wood elf before I call Odahviing. Keep her away from Castle Volkihar... It is no place for little girls.'

I watched on as Nysteris straightened herself up and walked over to Aerinda, coming to a stop a small distance before her and staring down at the little Bosmer's upturned, startled face.  
The contrast between them was startling. Nysteris' stark white skin, black hair and huge eyes made her look alien and frightening next to the warm tan of Aerinda's complexion, and the innocence of her disposition.  
'You've helped us.' I was happily surprised to see a reserved smile break on the Snow Elf's face. 'You remind me of myself when I was young. You're very brave.'

Aerinda's face lit up with happiness and excitement as she looked up at Nysteris, her dirty brown hair blowing around her shoulders. 'You're welcome,' she gushed. 'I can do more. I'm a really good archer, and I have a messenger bird. I can hunt. I know how to stop you from getting sick, I can use herbs and remedies...'  
Nysteris smiled as she reached into her pouch and produced a silver necklace, a sapphire set into the small pendant. She took Aerinda's hand and gave it to her as she spoke.  
'This will keep you safe. It carries magic that will let us find each other if we need to.'  
'Oh... Thank you...' She whispered, her eyes wide. 'What are we going to do now?'  
'It's time for us to part ways.'

'What? But I...'

'I'm about to call a dragon here to take us to a castle filled with very powerful vampires.' She paused, her voice calm as she spoke. 'It is far too dangerous for you to come with us. They would devour you.'

Aerinda's face dropped. 'A dragon...?'  
'Yes.'  
'Can I watch?'  
Nysteris smirked, amused by the little wood Elf's pluck. 'Alright. But you'll need to keep your distance. He can be moody.'  
'Thank you!'  
I saw Nysteris freeze with surprise as Aerinda threw her arms around her waist, squeezing her in a tight hug. She shot me an awkward glance; I smiled widely at her, my arms crossed over my chest. It was very cute.  
'We'll see you again, little one,' I said to her as Nysteris began to walk away toward the clearing where she would call the dragon. 'Keep yourself hidden. And you should take some of these dead Thalmor home for later. Yummy.' I winked.

She glowered at me as she waited in her spot by the embassy doors. 'You're not funny.'

'I'm very funny.'

'Whatever.'

'ODAH-VIING!'  
I grinned as she gasped and leaped away at the sound of the shout, her eyes wide and startled.

I would miss her.

There were dark days ahead.


	14. Chapter 14: Volkihar

I watched as Odahviing circled in the sky briefly, roaring as he began to turn to fly back to the Throat Of The World.

Castle Volkihar.

I could feel the evil saturating this place.  
It resonated from the stones; it hung in the air like a thick and suffocating cloud.  
Bone hawks drifted on the cold wind currents, silent and eerily still, their tattered wings stretched wide and rustling as they faded away into the heavy grey mist.

The waves breaking on the barren shore were the only noise I could hear. This place hadn't changed at all since I was here last.

But I had. I was not one of them any more.  
Even Teldryn was silent as he stood beside me. I had expected a comment about being forced to ride Odahviing again, or about thinking carefully before I made decisions; but there was nothing.

I took a deep breath, feeling the nausea of pregnancy simmering in my stomach.

I had to force myself to remember that I was strong. I was the Dragonborn. I'd destroyed Alduin, Miraak... Even Lord Harkon.  
But no matter how much I tried to build my courage, I only felt like a mortal pregnant woman, throwing myself and my beloved Teldryn to the mercy of a hive of vampire lords.

I couldn't let them sense my weakness.  
Get inside; find Serana; protect Teldryn.

I gathered my resolve.

'Let's go.' I began to take long strides toward the doors as Teldryn followed. I could feel the trepidation emanating from him in his silence.

I could smell it as soon as I pushed open the door; blood.

I felt the sickness rip through me as soon as the gamey, metallic scent reached my nostrils. I Felt Teldryn's hand touch my back as he murmured to me. 'Stay strong, sera.'

It was going to be harder than I had anticipated.

I straightened up and held my head high as I walked into the castle, stopping as I reached the dark clearing at the top of the stairs.

'You there! How dare you... Oh.'  
Vingalmo stopped talking mid sentence, his glowing orange eyes wide with surprise as he recognised me.  
'Hello.' I gave him a menacing smile as I crossed my arms and tried my best to hide my nausea. 'Is Lady Serana home?'

'Lady Serana. Of course.' A sly grin crept across his admittedly handsome face. 'It's a pleasure to see you again after so many years, Dragonborn. Our Lady will be most pleased.' His eyes flickered over to assess Teldryn as I stared him down. 'You seem to have lost your... Gift.' His voice dropped to a lower tone; a threatening one.

'Don't trouble yourself with that, Vingalmo.' I glared at him with wide eyes, and he stepped backward with a slight hesitation in his stance. 'Just fetch Serana.'

'...yes.' He murmured, watching us suspiciously as he turned to walk away. 'At once. Please, make yourselves... Comfortable.' My stare burned into his back as he walked away.  
'Stay close,' I murmured quietly to Teldryn as I quickly swept the great hall with my eyes. 'Watch your back.'

'This place... It's like a vision of hell.'

He was right.

Death hounds slowly prowled between the chairs of the great banquet tables, licking up scraps of lung and chewing at the mangled hands of the drained and mutilated corpses as they lay still on the table tops. Rats and mice hid in dark corners gnawing on bleeding vertebrae. Congealed blood pooled between the cracks of the floor stones.

There was no way that anybody would ever follow us here. The reputation of the place alone was enough to guarantee an absence of Thalmor presence.

The vampires seated at the tables wore elegant vampire armour of crimson and black. Polished metal catches on their buckles and cloak pins shone in the dim torch light as they held court, surrounded by corpses and bloody carnage, as though the scene which surrounded them did nothing to dissuade them from their delusions of grandeur.

I tried to rein in my strong sense of revulsion. I could never choose to live like this, undead or not.

'Are you sure Serana will help us? If they decide to turn on us...'  
'Shh. It will not happen.'

'It's you!'

I quickly turned my head as I saw Serana running up the stairs toward me, her dark brown hair bobbing around her face as her eyes lit up, a beautiful smile upon her lips.

My heart glowed with affection for her and my arms opened wide as she ran into them and threw her own arms around my neck, pressing her soft mouth against mine in a long kiss.

'Oh, my.' I heard the grin in Teldryn's sarcastic and suggestive tone as he spoke.

'It's been so long,' she said breathlessly as she looked up into my eyes. 'I heard about Alduin. I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again.'

'I couldn't stay away forever.' I smiled at her, joy blooming in my heart as I cradled her face with my hand and looked into her glowing orange eyes. 'You haven't changed a bit.'

'Wait... But you have.' She frowned slightly as she scanned my face. 'You're... Cured? You found a way?'  
'I did.'  
'Why?' I saw a slight sadness in her face. 'Didn't you like...'  
'I loved our time together, Serana. And how we spent it.' I felt slightly guilty as I beheld her, giving her a rueful smile. 'But I... I had to.'

She looked at me for a long time, trying to understand what I was saying.

It had been a torrid affair with her. Not the type of thing I would normally have entertained.  
Our affections for each other had developed slowly, kindled by our constant companionship and the vampire blood we both bore. Eventually our nights were spent entwined in eachother's bodies, our teeth buried in one another's necks.

I had not intended for it to happen; but it had. And I did not regret a moment of it.

'A lot of things have happened since I was last here with you.' My voice was soft and calm. I knew that some of the information I was going to have to reveal may hurt her. But I couldn't hope to hide it if I was to enlist her aid. 'I need your help.'

* * *

'They won't leave you alone until at least one of you has accepted the gift. It's just the way of things here. You know how it is.'  
Serana's voice was slightly sad.  
She had taken it quite well when I had told her about Teldryn; the two of them had struck up a friendly relationship. But I could see that she was disappointed.

'I just can't do that, Serana. I wish it could be different.' I gave her an apologetic gaze as I purred to her. 'It would change everything.'

She had been happy to accept us into the castle once I had explained to her about my plight; she had even announced to the court that Teldryn and I were under her personal protection, and that any member attempting to harm us would be answering to her directly. She had given me her allegiance for the upcoming war; the thing I had come here for as my highest priority.

But she wanted something else from me. I could see that familiar look in her eyes.  
'Did you think of me when you went to Morthal?'

'Yes. I never forgot about you.'

Teldryn sat in the dark corner of the room, watching quietly from his chair with his ankle resting across his knee. He was calm and patient, as always; he knew it was a difficult situation which required delicate handling. He was not going to interfere.

'I was so lonely here without you. I didn't know if you were ever going to come back.' Her eyes began to mist over with red tears as she quietly spoke. 'I... I want to ask you to do something for me.' She looked up at me with a nervous glance.

I already knew what it was. She wanted to taste my blood again.  
She had always told me that there was something different about it; something that she couldn't get enough of.

I sighed quietly.

Although I didn't want to, I knew that it was the least I could do.

I locked eyes with her as I slowly pulled my dagger from its sheath and pressed it against the tip of my index finger; I saw her eyes widen and a little gasp emerge from her as I slowly made a small but deep cut, feeling the adrenaline rush through me as the pain came.

'I've cut my finger.' My eyes were still locked onto her, a dark smile upon my lips as I raised it slightly toward her as we both sat in our chairs. I spoke slowly and deliberately as the drops of blood pattered onto the stone. 'I don't want it to get infected.'

Slowly, she leaned forward, a blush of arousal in her cheeks; I heard her release a long sigh as the blood dripped onto her tongue, and she hungrily took my finger into her hot, wet mouth, sliding her tongue over the cut.

I grinned. It brought back memories.

I could hear Teldryn stirring in his seat behind me.

I was looking forward to seeing whether he was going to tell me off, or drag me to the nearest bedroom.


	15. Chapter 15: On The Chair

'That was unexpected.'

I studied her as I slouched in my chair, my eyes passing over her body as she stood before me and gave me a smug grin. She wound a small length of thin linen wrap around the tip of her left index finger as she cast a healing spell.

'Which part?'

'Ah! Now there's a good question.' I cocked my head and grinned as I spoke to her.  
She could tell that I was aroused. The look on her face said it all.  
'So, for how long were you frolicking with that pretty vampire girl, hmm? You neglected to mention that during our previous discussions.'

She gave me a dark and cunning glance, a small, crooked smirk appearing on her lips. 'Not for too long. It wasn't the way you're imagining it. It was all about the blood. Not sex.'

'Oh, don't ruin it for me.'

She laughed softly. 'Alright then. We barely got anything done because couldn't walk past any flat surface without licking each other into a frenzy.'

I grinned wickedly as I stood up from my chair. 'That's better.' I growled as I gently grabbed her by the waist and pulled her toward me as I bit her ear. 'You naughty girl.' She giggled as I grabbed her backside.  
'You're a pervert.'  
'I can't help it.' I ran my hand down the long, smooth curve of her side over her thin dress, slowly pulling it up with my fingers as I kissed her neck. 'It's been three days. I'm ravenous.'  
She slid her hand down my back, scratching me gently with her nails; I felt my fire burn brighter as she murmured in my ear. 'Mmm. I've neglected you.'  
'You can make it up to me.' I gently reached up underneath her skirt and slowly ran my fingers up her inner thighs until I reached the hot, damp fabric covering her femininity. I purred to her as I kissed her behind her ear and breathed hot air onto her skin. 'I'm very forgiving.' I moved my hand up to her hip to pull down her underwear.  
She sighed softly as the garment fell to the floor, and I leaned down to pick up the edges of her hem to pull the dress up over her head. She reached for my belt and began to unbuckle it as I tossed her clothes away onto the rug. I exhaled at the feeling of the rush of desire that rippled through me as she wrapped her cool fingers around my rigid length.  
I needed this. Not only to satisfy my more primal urges, but because I needed to feel close to her again. We had not been intimate since discovering that she was carrying a child; the fear of uncertainty had made me feel slightly insecure.  
'Sit on the chair,' she whispered to me as she pulled my clothes off. I felt an excited thrill flow through my body.  
I had intended to take my time with her and drag it out a little to compensate for any lack of staying power brought on by my especially amorous state. But if she wanted to cut right to the chase, that was fine with me.  
She stood in front of me in all her bare-skinned glory, her small nipples hard and pink and the stark whiteness of her skin glowing in the torch-light. She was like an alabaster statue; like other Snow Elves, the faint blue of the veins under her skin marbled her inner arms and legs; but unlike before, I now noticed the same faint blue marbling on her breasts, emphasising her paleness.  
'Oh, sera,' I said softly, reaching out to touch her hip and smiling as I leaned back in the chair. 'You are a vision.'  
She smiled and gently put her arms around my neck as she went to sit on my lap; she gently enclosed my earlobe with her teeth as I wrapped my arms around her back and bent my head to put my lips on her nipple.  
I gasped and held her a little tighter as she lowered herself onto me and I felt the exquisite, wet heat of her body as I slid inside of her.  
The rapturous feeling washed away all the sadness and anxiety I had endured over the last three days. I felt whole again. I heard her breathe a little faster as I held her firmly in my arms and thrust my hips up, pushing myself deeper into her.  
She slowly and quietly released her breath next to my ear as I felt her contract gently around me, and she became still.  
'I missed your touch.' Her whisper was as soft as I had ever heard it.  
My heart melted as she cradled my face and kissed me deeply; for a while we simply stayed there, still and basking in the sweetness of our embrace.  
I inhaled deeply as she began to move again; the sensation of her warm flesh sliding slowly up and down my hardness was putting me into a feverish state. Time became a meaningless flow; My fingers dug into her sides as she smoothly moved her hips in a flawlessly fluid motion, causing a glorious, euphoric bliss to begin building within me.  
'Stop, my love,' I gasped as I held firmly onto her hips to keep her still, my head spinning as I began to feel the sublime, desperate ache. 'I can't keep up with you.'  
I had clearly needed her affections more than I had realised. It had only been ten minutes; I was so close to finishing that I was almost delirious. I closed my eyes, my breathing rapid and shallow as I tried to control myself.  
She gently ran her hand down the side of my neck and kissed my cheek. 'Don't hold back,' she murmured in my ear. 'I want to see you.'  
I released my breath in a great rush at the sound of her words, my legs trembling ever so slightly as her voice rang in my mind.  
If I was going to go now, I was going to bring her with me.  
I firmly gripped her shoulder and pulled her backside forward as I gritted my teeth and looked straight into her blue eyes; I thrust my hips forward and buried myself into her, slow, deep and hard.  
She closed her eyes as her head fell back and a long, pleading moan escaped from her lips. She dug her nails into my back as I kept working; it was not long before I felt the great rush of bliss again, and I saw her mouth open as she cried out.

I gasped as I released a flood inside of her, and all around me became like a dream; before I had time to recover, I felt the swift contractions that came with her orgasm as she tightened around me.  
My head was swimming. I was in a state of pure peace and love; when I opened my eyes, I saw her face gently resting on my shoulder, a small, angelic smile upon her parted lips as her blue eyes gently closed.

I kissed her cheek between heavy breaths as I smoothed her shiny black hair. A wide smile broke on my face as I closed my eyes and purred to her.

'That was worth the wait.'

I felt her cheeks move as she smiled against my bare shoulder.

'I'm keeping it, by the way. I know you were wondering.'

My eyes snapped open and I gently pushed her away so that I could look at her, an expression of pleasant surprise on my face.

'You mean... You mean the baby?'

'Yes.' She gazed at me with a soft smile and half-lidded eyes.

I pulled her close to my chest as I grinned stupidly.

'I think you've just made my entire year, sera.'


	16. Chapter 16: Decisions

_Gelebor and Virdanyis,_

_The Ambassador and I are unable to return to The Vale. We are being tracked by Thalmor scouts who are under instruction to intercept messages and report our movements to pinpoint the location of the kingdom._  
_Voslaarum and Naslaarum must not leave. They and any snow hawks, messenger birds or couriers leaving from The Vale will be targeted with tracking spells. All communications are to be ceased immediately._  
_The Thalmor are aware of the area in which our kingdom lies, although they do not seem to have discovered it yet. Extraordinary vigilance is needed._  
_Slaughter the horses. Equip the armed forces with the best you have and ensure they are trained in destruction and resoration spells at minimum. Prepare the battle mages and the chaurus. Equip the archers with ebony._  
_I am gathering allies as we speak while I try to find a safe way to return to you. Some of them may not be to your liking, but we cannot afford to turn away a friend in dark times._

_Gelebor, you are acting monarch in my absence. Virdanyis - have our forces ready for mobilisation at a moment's notice._  
_This bone hawk cannot be tracked because of its undead status. It is, for now, our only means of communication. Only inscribe in Falmer rune. It will return to my location._  
_If you can find away for us to return to you safely, please send word at once._

_I also write to advise that I am now carrying the future heir to the Falmer throne._

_I will return as soon as I can._

_Nysteris_

I sighed as I put the quill back into the ink pot.

Teldryn and I had been here in the castle for almost a month.

It was a trying experience. The residents of Volkihar were relentless in their attempts to turn us into one of them. After Vingalmo had failed to persuade me after a number of lengthy conversations, and the two Dunmer vampires Garan Marethi and Feran Sadri had no success with Teldryn, tensions had begun to escalate.  
I dared not leave Teldryn unattended.  
Glowing eyes watched our every move; Serana made attempts to keep them in line, but we all knew that her influence was limited.

It was becoming too dangerous to stay here. I was often incapacitated with nausea, and the vampires could tell. I could feel them waiting for their moment to strike; like a pack of wolves cautiously circling a wounded bear, biding their time until they could seize an opportunity to attack. We needed to leave before we lost our allegiances here.

When I awoke in distress each morning, I could hear the voice of Molag Bal. The smothering sense of malice and fear. I knew he had been talking to me as I slept; but I could never remember what he had said.

Teldryn and I had been making more frequent excursions away from the castle. There was no food here, and most of what was able to be collected from the wilderness made me ill. My pregnancy had caused me to develop a severe aversion to meat; I had been sustaining myself mostly on snowberries, bread, fish and Jazbay Grapes. Teldryn had been a diligent and supportive carer, constantly checking to see if my nausea was under control and making sure that my needs were met. I had come to depend on him heavily; he seemed to be genuinely happy that I was doing so.

The news of the attack on the Thalmor Embassy had broken a while ago. While most of the populace had been quietly pleased about it at the time, the backlash had come in the form of Thalmor dispatches sweeping through the land, and taking into custody anybody who they suspected may hold even the slightest shred of information about it. People were disappearing; bodies were often found mutilated along the roadside.  
They no longer bothered to use the discretion of disposing of the remains.  
While it was helping to build hatred toward them among the inhabitants of Skyrim, the population was still fearful and unorganised. They weren't preparing for the inevitable invasion as they should have been.

Teldryn and I had killed four separate Thalmor scouts within the last month during our outings into the woods alone.  
A Dark Brotherhood assassin had approached us in the wilds, informing us that they had been offered a massive sum to complete a contract on our heads; one that I was grateful that they would not honour.

We needed sanctuary. We were becoming more vulnerable with every day that passed, forced to decide between a number of equally treacherous options.

I rolled up the note, written in ancient Falmer, and tied it to the leg of the bone hawk that was patiently waiting on the window ledge, sending a ripple of magic down my arm as I closed my eyes and instructed it where to go.

I could only hope that it would not be recognised as a messenger and intercepted, or that Gelebor or Virdanyis wouldn't destroy it on sight because of its horrific appearance.

'How long do you think it will take for them to reply?'

Teldryn's voice was quiet and calm as he watched the hawk jump from the ledge and spread its wings as it soared away.  
He knew we would need to wait here until we received a response. It was more time that neither of us wanted to spend in this gods-forsaken place.

'I don't know.' The loneliness washed over me again as I absently stared at the dark ocean out of the window. 'We need to leave this place soon.'

'Is there a way that we can get to Morrowind?'

'They will be looking for us there. They know of your connections.'

'House Redoran will grant us sanctuary.'

'Are you so sure of that?' I turned to look at him sadly. 'This war doesn't affect them. They've never been known for their benevolence toward outsiders and their problems. And I can promise you that they never thought they would have to deliver on their side of the allegiance pact.'

'Maybe.' His voice was deep and low. 'But there is no official Thalmor presence there; They hold no authority in Morrowind. We could take Odahviing.' He paused for a moment as he observed me. 'What about Neloth in Tel Mithryn? He made you a member of House Telvanni, didn't he?'

I felt a flare of surprise light up in my chest as I remembered it.  
Neloth. Of course.

I leaped forward to plant a forceful kiss on a startled Teldryn. 'You're a genius,' I mumbled.

Neloth would help us. He had to.

'Of course I am.' Teldryn smiled as I pulled away from him. 'I don't know what you'd do without me.'

'We still need to wait for word from The Vale.'

'How will we know if the message even reaches them?' Teldryn frowned, a look of caution and concern clouding his face. 'You know we are risking much by staying here, sera.'

I paused, biting my lip as I thought and grabbing a handful of snowberries from the dish in front of me.

'Four more days.' I nodded slightly as I chewed. 'Give it four days, and if the hawk hasn't returned, we leave for Tel Mithryn.'


	17. Chapter 17: Treachery

Nysteris was sick again. She had been curled up in the bed - the only bed in the castle - with Serana sitting by her side when I had left for the forest; her nausea had been so severe that she could barely hold down water. She hadn't realised that I'd gone.

Three days had passed with no word from Gelebor. I was desperate to get Nysteris and I away from Castle Volkihar, and from all of the evil monsters harboured within its walls. I sighed loudly to myself as I pissed against a tree trunk and thought about how much I hated them. Vingalmo in particular.  
Slippery bastard. He never seemed to be far away at any given time, and he was getting bolder with each passing day as Nysteris' sickness crippled her. I knew he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into her neck; I was going to make sure he never got the chance.

I had expected him to follow me out here. I had made a point to declare my departure to him as I had left, telling him that I was going out to find some plants to make a remedy for morning sickness. I had seen his eyes light up and that evil smile creep upon his face as I spoke.

And, true to form, I could hear the faintest crunch of fallen leaves and the snap of a twig from the forest behind me.

I smiled as I closed my fly, shutting my eyes and lazily stretching my neck from side to side as I called out. 'Come on now. You don't have to hide. I know you're there.'

It wasn't Vingalmo. I knew it before I turned around. He wasn't the type to settle his own disputes like an honourable man; he'd sent two of his underlings to do the job for him.

'You should give up now, Dunmer. Die with some dignity. You don't stand a chance.'

'Is that so?' I raised my eyebrows, turning around to look at them with an expression of mock surprise upon my face as I folded my arms. 'Well, it seems that your boss has stabbed you in the back as well. You're out of your league, you filthy parasites.'

They were human vampires; an Imperial woman and a Breton man. The ones with the malformed, squashed bat faces I had seen regularly sucking on the corpses in the great hall. Hideous.

'Ha! Look at this one. He thinks he's going to walk away from us.'

'We won't find out if you stand around deluding yourselves all evening.' I wore a menacing grin as I drew my sword and summoned a spell in my left hand; I was going to enjoy this. I hadn't had a bit of two-on-one combat since I'd left the Redoran guard. 'Come on, you fetchers. Let's have it.'

They didn't waste any more time with talking. In the blink of an eye they had split away from one another, darting between the trees like shadows, trying to split my focus.  
I'd dealt with vampires before. Never as smart as they thought they were. They always made the same predictable mistakes.

I heard an agonised scream as I thrust my blade up hard behind me, impaling the ugly woman through the chest as she tried to latch on to my neck from the back. I swiftly and brutally twisted the sword and wrenched it out again just in time to leap out of the path of a glowing red projectile.

The fire bolt I threw struck the vampire on the ankle as he attempted to rout me. He cried out in pain as he staggered and fell to the ground; I smiled and laughed quietly as I sent another one aimed at his chest. I knew about the severe aversion that vampires had to fire. It worked to my advantage.

'Well, well, well.' I grinned broadly as I sauntered over to him and kneeled down on one knee by his side, pressing the tip of my sword under his chin. 'That was a bit of a disappointment.'

'You'll break in the end,' he hissed at me through his teeth, malice burning in his eyes. 'They always do.'

'Not this one.' I trailed the end of the sword down to his heart as I stood up. My eyes widened as I placed both hands on the hilt of the sword and prepared to run him through. 'I'm about to walk away. But not without your head. You lose.'

* * *

Vingalmo turned around quickly as I kicked open the doors to the great hall, rapidly striding forward as I tossed the heads of his minions at his feet. Blood spattered across the stone as they bounced slightly and rolled to a stop before him.  
The look of shock on his face was perfect.  
'Teldryn!' He gasped. 'You're... You're back already?'  
'Shut your fucking mouth, you worm.' I lunged toward him and snatched his throat with my right hand, my eyes blazing with hatred as I snarled at him and slammed him up against the wall.  
His hands flew up to grip my wrist as I pinned him and lit up my right hand with a blazing flame. He began to gasp and choke, his legs flailing against the wall. 'Didn't have the guts to do it yourself, fetcher?' I hissed. 'Look at me. I didn't even get a scratch.'  
I shoved the edge of my sword up against his neck over my burning right hand, drawing blood from his skin; I watched on in rage as his eyes widened in terror and disbelief.

'Ahahahahaha!'  
I heard a deep, hearty laugh and a slow and loud clap as Orthjolf, the big burly Nord smiled widely, gloating with glee as he watched on. 'Yet another stupid mistake, Vingalmo! Didn't you do your research? He was a captain in Morrowind! Do you think the queen of the Snow Elves would show up to a place like this with an ordinary sellsword? Ahahahaha!'

I shot him a vicious glare as I kept Vingalmo pressed against the wall, my hand burning his throat as he struggled.  
'Do it, greyskin! Make him regret it!'

I snarled as I ignored him and turned my furious anger back to the Altmer, his blood now beginning to trickle down my sword. I heard a gasp as a door opened nearby and Serana and Nysteris appeared, pausing in shock as they beheld the scene in front of them.  
'You chose your methods poorly, you treacherous scum.' I squeezed his neck harder as I growled, consumed with malice. 'If you ever try to lay a finger on her... I will cut you to fucking pieces.'

He coughed loudly as he struggled to breathe beneath my grip.

'Nysteris,' I shouted out. 'Call Odahviing. We're leaving.'


	18. Chapter 18: News

'We have to bring her home. There must be a way.'

Virdanyis was restlessly pacing the floors of the throne room, exasperation in his voice as he clenched his fists, a frustrated grimace upon his face. He glared at the bone hawk in confused indignation. 'Where did that thing come from? Where is she?'

'There is no way to know; the seers are working as we speak. It wouldn't matter if we did know where she was, General; you've read the letter.'  
Gelebor sighed softly as he sat on the throne, Nysteris' letter held lightly between his fingertips. His mind was full or turmoil, despite his calm and composed demeanour. 'What matters is that we know that she is alive, and that we can contact her.'

His face was grim and unsmiling.

They both knew that the queen and her dragons comprised the majority of the kingdom's defensive strength. Her absence was beyond inconvenient; it was disastrous.

The natural first choice of the kingdom in relation to the inevitable war was to quietly wait it out in guarded seclusion. It would be insanity to willingly commit to an active role with such a tiny army, no matter how elite and disciplined. Even the smallest loss would be painfully felt.  
The blessings and favour of Mara and Dibella had graced the Falmer with an unnaturally high fertility rate for the past fifty years; blissfully happy families in The Vale were raising two to three children each, and twins were not uncommon. It had been a gift from the Goddesses to aid in the recovery of the Falmer race.

But it was not enough.

And then, there was the Queen herself.

Although her devotion to her kingdom could not be questioned, her detached, bipolar and often cold-blooded nature was exacerbated and intensified by the presence of war and conflict.

The milk and honey flowing from the gods would soon cease if she aligned herself and her subjects with dark forces.

And all of the signs predicted it; she was beginning her descent.

War was almost upon them, and the enemy was almost at the gates.

It was too late to turn back now.

'She is pregnant, Gelebor. With the heir to the throne. And she's out there, wandering around Tamriel being pursued by Thalmor and... I just... I can't bear to think of it.'  
Virdanyis continued to pace, a bound and impotent anguish showing in his pale blue eyes, his hair untied and flowing over his broad shoulders.  
He was fully aware that the paternity of the heir was in question; although he wanted to know the answer as much as Teldryn no doubt did, it was not important.  
The stress that Virdanyis was feeling was derived far more from dedication to the service and protection of his queen and his people; of worry for the safety of his friend Teldryn, and for the safety of Nysteris, the one he had aspired to be like as a youth, the one who impressed him with her dedication, ferocity and strength. The one who he respected and admired most.

'I think that sometimes you forget what she really is.' The sound of Gelebor's voice was soothing to his troubled soul. 'She will be safe, Virdanyis. She is a fearsome creature.' His smooth and cultured tone dropped to a lower volume. 'What keeps her from us is the fear that she will bring the Thalmor with her when she comes.'

'Is there no way we can send Voslaarum and Naslaarum?'

'We risk leading the Thalmor here if we do. Our queen would not approve, which is why she has not returned to us already. It will be difficult to send the dragons without her calling them in any case.'

'The Thalmor may already know where we are by now. It's getting in which is going be harder for them than finding us. Do you really suggest that we cast our queen to the currents and leave our defenses drastically weakened as a result, only to prevent what you and I both know is an inevitability?'

'We must wait for Skyrim - The Empire - to build her defenses. We have no hope of winning this war on our own, even with the queen at the helm. You ought to know that better than anyone, General.'

Gelebor's vivid eyes solemnly bore into Virdanyis as he spoke.

The General's restlessness was causing him concern.

Gelebor had been guarding The Vale and the great chantry as a Knight-Paladin for thousands of years; since before Nysteris was born.  
Throughout all of those years of desolation, desperation and hardship, he had seen many strong and brave warriors pass through the Wayshrines hoping to destroy Arch-Curate Vyrthur and claim Auriel's Bow; up until Nysteris, all of them had failed.  
And the things that all of them had lacked were patience and self-discipline.  
It was the desperation to gratify themselves that had broken them in the end; discovering how to free oneself from it was a harsh lesson that could often only be taught by humiliation and defeat.

Gelebor needed to remind himself that Virdanyis had a more personal investment in the queen's safety than he did at this time. The news was still very fresh; It was understandable that he would be reactive.

'My Lord.'

The Arch-Mage bowed politely as he entered, his hooded, decorated white robes reflecting the light from their silver trim. The pale grey eyes in his aged face met with Gelebor's as he spoke.

'Ah, Nieven. Please,' Gelebor said as he smiled modestly and gestured toward himself. 'Have you had success?'

'We have.' His rasping voice echoed softly through the freezing hall as he walked forward, his white beard flowing down his front. 'We have located her in an area of Solstheim in Morrowind.'

'Solstheim?' Virdanyis turned to look at the old wizard in astonishment, his silvery white hair fanning around him with the movement. 'Why would she go there? It's far too exposed.'

'From what we know, it appears she has taken refuge in the residence of a very powerful Telvanni wizard, General. He quickly thwarted our connection once he became aware of our presence.'

'...Neloth.' Gelebor's eyes widened as he realised who it must be. 'Well, she will certainly be safe there. He isn't hospitable toward outsiders and enjoys a fearsome reputation.'

'He's insane, Gelebor.' Virdanyis glowered. 'Who knows what he'll do.'

'There are many places where she would be in far more danger.'

'There is something else, your honour.' The Arch-Mage's tone became serious and dark. 'Thalmor wizards have been attempting to reactivate the Wayshrine portal in Darkfall cave.'

'What?' Gelebor and Virdanyis both gasped in synchrony.

'They have met with no success as of yet. Our magic is unknown to them. But it may only be a matter of time.'

An ominous silence blanketed the room; Gelebor's fist rested against his lips as a hard frown crossed his face and his eyes became dark with concern.

'We need to decide upon a course of action, Gelebor. We cannot delay any longer.'

'You may be right.' He murmured quietly, his mind racing as he comprehended the implications of the grim news.

'Virdanyis. What say you?'


	19. Chapter 19: Leaving

'Drovas! Hurry up! I'm parched!'

'Oh, dear gods,' Teldryn growled as he sighed and dragged his palm down his face, his eyes closed. 'He's unbearable. How is this man still alive? Has nobody tried to kill him yet?'

'I heard that.' Neloth stood with his nose in the air and his arms folded, an expression of haughty arrogance on his face. 'I am a wizard of house Telvanni, and your most gracious host. Show some proper respect.'

'Yes, I know who you are,' Teldryn moaned through clenched teeth as he sat on the bedroll next to me, rolling his eyes. 'Powerful wizard. Greatest one I'll ever meet. I'm not apologising.'

'Hmph. I wouldn't expect any different from House Redoran.' He turned on his heel as he marched off towards the staff enchanter. 'Talvas! Find Drovas! I want my tea!'

I snickered quietly as I tied my hair up with a piece of cord, grinning at Teldryn as he pointed at his own face, his eyes wide.  
'Look, sera. Look at this. This is me, begging. Have mercy.' He looked hilariously miserable and angry. 'I'm trapped in a giant mushroom house with a tea-addicted egomaniac, and every waking moment spent in his presence makes me want to choke the life out of him.'  
I began to laugh loudly and l leaned over to kiss the short, coarse black hair on his jaw as he continued. 'He never sleeps. He talks to himself. He's a member of House Telvanni.'

I smiled widely as I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. He gave me a small, disappointed frown. 'You don't seem to be taking this very seriously.'

'We are safe here, Teldryn.' I touched his cheek with my fingertips as I smiled. 'Nobody would ever come for us here.'

'I wonder why that is,' he mumbled dryly as he furtively glared at Neloth.

'Deal with it. You're a grown man.'

'Why can't we go to Blacklight?' He whined. 'I hate it here. It smells of canis root and old fungus.' He smiled reluctantly as he put his arm around me and softly kissed my hair; his left hand rested gently on the small bump of my belly. 'It's a very comfortable city, sera. No Telvanni wizards. And excellent food. Hmm?'

'You know that we can't.' I smiled at him apologetically as I wrapped my fingers around his own. 'It's too open.'

We had been here for two months now.  
Although we were safe, Neloth's personality was beginning to wear on us; Teldryn more so than myself.

We hadn't received any word from The Vale, although Neloth had informed us that they were making attempts to contact; at minimum they would now be aware of where we were.  
What was most frustrating was that Neloth had indicated that he knew the gender and paternity of the child I was carrying, but refused to disclose it to us. All the begging and pleading in the world from Teldryn hadn't convinced him to change his mind.  
Despite our growing frustration, it was important that we tried to show some basic courtesy. Neloth had provided us with sanctuary, and the months we had been here had been the safest time we had spent anywhere since we had left The Vale. Tel Mithryn was largely self-supporting, with its own steward and cook; we didn't have to leave for anything and put ourselves at risk. Even the Thalmor were reluctant to deal with Neloth, but not because of his unbearable arrogance; He was indeed a very powerful wizard, and one whom the Thalmor were not keen to upset. It could be said that his skill and hard work had earned him his right to be pretentious.

'And you. I would appreciate it if your dragon stopped... Roosting on my mushrooms. They're getting ruined. It took effort for me to grow those, you know.' Neloth pouted at me disapprovingly as he took his canis root tea from Drovas and walked into his study room. 'Get out, Drovas. You're distracting me.' His shaved head glowed from the ball of Mage light suspended in the air by his shoulder.

'I don't know how you stand him.' Teldryn smiled softly at me as he continued to rest his hand on my belly; his eyes passed over me with a sense of great affection as he spoke. 'Does it feel like a boy or a girl?'  
'I don't know. It doesn't really feel like anything yet.'

The worst of the sickness had passed; in its place I was left with the small, hard lump low in my abdomen. Although I thought sometimes that I could almost feel the faintest stirring within me - like a finger ever so delicately tracing down the inner wall of my belly, or the flutter of tiny butterfly wings - I still struggled to feel the happiness and sweet anticipation that I had been taught that I should be experiencing.  
Maybe it would change. But for now, all I felt was an ever growing weakness; the tiredness, the moodiness, the painfully swollen breasts. I was being slowly disabled and incapacitated; with the shadow of war sweeping across Tamriel, I feared for how I would be able to defend and lead my people in my increasingly incapable condition.

And as the days passed by, I found my thoughts turning increasingly to the question of whose child it was that grew within me: whether I would be gifting Virdanyis and my kingdom with the pure-blooded and carefully bred Falmer heir which I owed them, or whether I would be bearing the curious hybrid child of Teldryn; borne of love and from a bond that had crossed even the chasm of death itself, but existing as an impropriety. Never to be completely embraced by the cultures and societies of either of its parents, but caught in an unprecedented twilight, somewhere in between ash and snow.

I knew that Teldryn would stay with me regardless of the outcome. But I worried for his heart. He had already invested too heavily in the assumption that the baby would be his.  
Life's lessons were rarely so simple and honest.

I'm tired, Teldryn.'

My voice was quiet and despondent as he watched my face with a gentle concern. 'I'm tired of running and hiding. Like a hunted animal... I can't stop thinking about The Vale.'

A small, rueful smile appeared on his tattooed lips as he met my gaze, the black lashes lining his red eyes gleaming ever so slightly as he spoke to me in a soft purr. 'I know.'

The relative safety of Tel Mithryn had allowed me time to properly think about the situation I was in; to consider my options.

War was unavoidable now. Windhelm was bracing for the first wave.

Even in my current condition, I was the only way The Vale could stand any chance of defending themselves against the invading Thalmor forces; and I feared that while they knew of my absence, they would seize the opportunity to strike.  
And, perhaps, it was better done sooner rather than later. The more time that passed, and the more heavily pregnant I became, the less efficiently I was able to fulfil my role.

The idea of launching a pre-emptive assault was becoming ever more tempting; to take all of the dragons at my disposal - Voslaarum, Naslaarum, Odahviing, Durnehviir, and any others I could wrangle - and annihilate the Thalmor armies as they reached Windhelm. It would secure the allegiances as well as send a clear message.  
The Thalmor undoubtedly knew where The Vale was by now; to continue to worry about revealing its location was a redundant act.

And I had been hoping to make an attempt at beginning something which remained unprecedented:  
Training the Avatars to accept riders other than myself.

Namely, Teldryn and Virdanyis.

'I think that our time out here has come to an end. We should go home.' My voice was calm and determined.

Teldryn's thoughts on the issue of returning to The Vale were the same as my own. While he was more concerned with my own safety than I was, he had been suggesting for some time that it was too late to keep the kingdom hidden. The Thalmor presence was too thick, and too much time had passed.

'Very well.' He smiled again. 'I'm not going to try and stop you. I just want to get out of here.'

'So, you've finally decided then, hmm? Good, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to wait the whole thing out. I will be most interesting to see what happens next.'

Neloth's voice was authoritative and neutral as always; his detachment from the war situation had been maddening. But it is possible that in this single instance, his attitude had helped. I didn't need anyone trying to change my mind.

'Thank you, Neloth.' I smiled to him from across the room. 'You have been most gracious.'

'I know. It is good that you're grateful.' He thumbed through a worn old book, not looking up. 'Do let me know how it goes. And keep those dragons off my mushrooms. I will not be pleased to find more talon cuts on them.'

I heard Teldryn sigh loudly; whether it was from frustration or from the joy of sweet release, I couldn't tell.

'When do we leave? Now? I'll get everything ready. Let me just go and talk to Neloth.'

I watched and smiled as he approached the haughty wizard with a false air of friendly confidence, trying one last time before we left to coax him into revealing what he knew about the baby.

It was time to stop hiding and running; it was time to brace for war.


	20. Chapter 20: Celebrations

'It took careful negotiation, but Zirek came around eventually. They will stay here until you decide to dismiss them. They wish to be under your personal command.' Virdanyis squinted as he stood next to me on the chantry balcony in his armour, looking down at the assembled Falmer and Dunmer forces as they went through their drills led by the Snow Elf lieutenants Seithring and Adelbhor.

I was overjoyed to see the Redoran Elite. I had not thought that Arch-Master Zirek would ever agree to send assistance in the form of the House's best men. Even though they numbered only one hundred and fifty, their skill and experience made them equal to a much more numerous force of regular soldiers.  
Many of them I had trained personally. My heart swelled with pride as I beheld them, standing to attention in their bonemold armour and crimson cloth.

'I'm very impressed, Virdanyis. You and your silver tongue.' I smiled broadly at the sight of the men. 'What did Zirek force you to agree to?'

He sighed quietly. 'We had to negotiate via messenger hawk. It took incredible patience and tact. The House eventually agreed on the condition that we commit to procuring a dragon for them. A dragon native to Solstheim.'

I frowned, surprised. 'Is that even possible? The only dragons Nysteris has total control over are those two.' I nodded toward Voslaarum and Naslaarum, perched upon their shrine in the frozen lake far below us as their priests and attendants milled around. 'We've only got Odahviing and Durnehviir because of their personal relationships with the queen. They aren't pets.'

'I know. I took great pains to make that abundantly clear.' His smooth, calm voice echoed quietly in the freezing air. 'We can begin organising the finer details after we have finished dealing with the Thalmor.' He leaned his elbows on the ornate stone wall as he exhaled a dense, thin plume of perfumed smoke into the air, holding the long, thin silver pipette between his fingers. 'They're incredibly well disciplined, those men of yours.'

I grinned broadly as I looked down at them. 'I made them myself. My pride and joy.' I stepped forward to lean on the wall next to Virdanyis. 'How are they settling in?'

'Hah.' He smiled and scoffed lightly. 'They're very serious. Taking some time to adjust to the climate and the food. They keep to themselves; the other men are having a hard time trying to figure them out.'

'They can take themselves a bit too seriously sometimes.' I smiled. 'They're behaving themselves then?'

'Impeccably. They haven't had any time off duty since they arrived two weeks ago, though. They'll only take those orders from you... Captain Sero.'

He grinned at me, his ice-blue eyes alight with a comforting familiarity; His silvery white hair was untied and flecked with snow, hanging over his shoulders, gleaming in the harsh winter sun of The Vale. Although he was slightly taller than me, there seemed to be no difference between us as we leaned on the stone barriers of the great balcony.

There had been an unspoken awkwardness between us when he had been told of his duty to sire the queen's heir. While he had no qualms about the idea of royal pedigrees - he had described it to me earlier as the same as any arranged political marriage, but without the marriage - it had come as a great shock to him when he was informed that he had been selected as the one to enact it.

Virdanyis and I had become quite close after he had negotiated my honourable release from military service in Blacklight. He was very empathetic and considerate during that time; our common military background had provided another foundation on which to build an enjoyable friendship. I had always found him to be a man of strong moral fiber, highly dedicated to the service of his queen and kingdom, but with an approachable air of strength and grace, and a surprisingly dry and sarcastic sense of humour.

On the night he had discovered what he was expected to do to Nysteris in service to his kingdom, he had come to my personal chambers in the early hours of the evening, awkward and solemn. He wasn't aware that I'd known long before he had been told; I found it endearing that he had come to see me so quickly after receiving the news. After a brief and awkward discussion during which I had assured him that I bore no ill will, and that I understood the pressures of dedicated service to one's people, we had proceeded to get horrendously drunk and never spoke of it again; How I'd come to find that strong military men often dealt with delicate personal situations. After many enjoyable hours, he'd passed out on the floor of my armoury hugging a bottle of kynsin. I'd never let him forget it. Snow Elves couldn't hold their liquor like a Dark Elf.

'Well, General,' I said brightly, reaching out to take his pipette as I spoke. 'With your permission,' I inquired as I took a long drag, 'I think I'd like to give them a proper welcome.'

He grinned broadly, his gleaming white teeth showing as he smiled. 'Of course, Captain. Shall I lock up the women?'

I laughed quietly. 'Oh, most certainly not. It wouldn't be a party without them.'

'You'll be the one who tells Gelebor, then. I'm not touching that mess.'

I gently bumped my knuckles against his armoured shoulder as I turned to leave, handing him back his pipe as I exhaled the smoke. 'I'll see you in the drinking hall, Virdy. Now... to placate the Queen. She gets moody when she can't join in the fun.'

* * *

Nysteris smiled as she sat on the gilded chair, eating snowberries and watching as the men in the drinking hall laughed and cheered.

The place was vibrant and alive; music was playing, laugher rang out, the sweet smell of Falmer incense and food wafted through the air. Shy Snow Elf girls blushed and giggled as they fluttered their eyelashes at tall and muscled Dark Elf soldiers, The men grinning and leaning over to whisper in their ears as they nursed their flagons of sujamma.

Falmer and Dunmer men cheered as drinking contests were vigorously held in corners; happily drunk soldiers danced with pretty, snow-white women in the middle of the room, staggering slightly as they laughed and flirted. Virdanyis was leaning against a wall in the corner next to a sconce, one of Nysteris' hand maids resting her hand on his chest and looking up at him suggestively as he grinned down at her and drank from a glass of kynsin.

'They're all quite handsome, aren't they?' She smiled slyly, popping another snowberry into her mouth. 'Wait until the ladies find out that they're ambidextrous.' Her fine gilded robes and delicate silver circlet seemed to glow in the firelight as she sat there, resting her left hand on the little bump of her belly.

'I'm all the Dunmer you need, young lady.' I leaned over to bite her ear lightly, feeling happily drunk. 'Don't go getting any ideas.'

'Ugh!' She laughed, fondly stroking my back. 'You stink of alcohol.'

'So do they. You won't escape that no matter what you do.' I grinned as I wobbled slightly, my head swimming as I put a hand out to balance myself.

'You're going to be nice and hung over for your dragon riding lesson tomorrow. Virdanyis, too.' She beamed a mischevious smile at me from her chair.

I felt a flare of happiness and excitement light up in my chest. I was having fun. It had been too long since we had been at ease; Although the threat of war still loomed, tonight was about celebrating. The Queen was home again, and we had the Redoran Elite to bolster our strength. for now, things were blissful. I lovingly kissed her on the cheek as I murmured into her ear. 'I love you. Don't go to sleep until I get back.'

'I think I'm going to need to get some sleep before the sun rises, Teldryn.' She smiled as she kissed me back. 'Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, being all sober and boring in my chambers. I've got snowberries.'

'Captain!' I heard the happy shout of one of the men as they beckoned me over to their table. 'Come and help us show these Falmer how they drink in Morrowind!'

'Duty calls.' She winked at me as she gently squeezed my arm. I smiled widely at her as I began to turn away.

'Must I do everything for you? By Azura, you've gotten soft since I left.'


	21. Chapter 21: Practice

'Good morning, gentlemen!'

I smiled sadistically with my arms folded as Teldryn and Virdanyis trudged across the ice of the frozen lake toward me, expressions of abject misery upon their faces. Virdanyis had knots in his hair, but was otherwise in order; Teldryn still appeared to be slightly drunk. I tossed them each a small bottle of anti-toxin, smiling as Virdanyis sheepishly caught it in his right hand, and Teldryn's skidded across the ice. He sighed loudly and slumped a little, rubbing his face. I knew they hadn't finished drinking until five hours ago, let alone gone to sleep.

'Is there any reason why this must be done right now?' he whined. He bent down slowly to pick up the little jar.

'Yes, actually. we're running out of time to get this done. Windhelm is going to be the first city in Skyrim to be attacked, most likely within the next three days.' I grinned as Voslaarum and Naslaarum lowered their bridled heads down from the word wall they were roosting on, turning their heads slightly to inspect the two men. 'It isn't my fault that you decided to get drunk last night when you knew you had an engagement this morning.'

'You wouldn't have decided to do it at this time if you'd been out with us last night, you wicked woman.'

'I wouldn't have gone out drinking. Take your medicine and stop complaining.'

Virdanyis recoiled a little as Naslaarum released a low, resonating rumble from deep within his chest and stretched out his neck, spreading his wings; Voslaarum suddenly released a great whoosh of breath from his nostrils, blowing up a cloud of snow from the ground at my feet.

I had spent a great deal of time this morning negotiating with the dragons about accepting new riders. It had been a difficult sell. Although they were bound to my service and to the preservation of The Vale, this had never before extended to allowing anybody who was not a Herald to ride and command them.

'_Niid qolaas sos, Dovahkiin. Vanmindoraan_.' Naslaarum's protest had been firm.

'_This is a great thing, what you ask of us, Qolaas. Orin folaas_.' Voslaarum had always been the calmer of the two, but still volatile and unpredictable. Although I had eventually secured their full cooperation, they had not made it easy; I had also needed to make them guarantee that they would not attack my other dragon allies when outside of The Vale, namely Odahviing and Durnehviir. It went against their very natures to agree to such a thing; They were created to destroy their own kind. But eventually I had convinced them of the importance of the task, and they had given me their word.

'They're much bigger up close.' Virdanyis slowly and warily stepped forward, his eyes fixed upon Naslaarum as he approached. 'Are you sure we can do this?'

'I don't know. That's why we're here. But if you are wondering whether these two will hurt you, they won't. They have given me their word.'

'Hah. They've tried to kill me before.' Teldryn kept his distance, his arms folded as he watched on. I shot him an angry glare.

'You've ridden them plenty of times.'

'Not by myself though, sera.'

I was becoming irritated. 'Are you serious? Do you think I'd bring you both here if I thought they would kill you? I repeat: They have given me their word. Now, both of you. Come here.' I pointed firmly to the ground in front of me and waited for Virdanyis and Teldryn to take their positions.

A crowd had gathered on the snowy banks of the frozen lake, and the courtiers and staff were standing on the balcony far above. While they were too far away to be at risk, their presence was distracting. They seemed to be expecting some kind of show. I tried to ignore them and took a deep breath as I began.

'Naslaarum, Voslaarum, to me.'

The men rushed to my side as the dragons pushed their huge wings down and rose into the air, the rush of wind created from the force blowing snow away from around our feet; They looked up, wide-eyed, as the great beasts circled in the air and then landed heavily upon the thick ice, resting upon the joints of their wings and turning their great heads to observe us with their big, pale violet eyes as I spoke.

'These noble creatures have been protecting The Vale and its inhabitants for many thousands of years, from dragons, daedra and invading armies. And during that time, they have never been defeated. It has been me who has ridden and commanded them, along with my sister, over many lifetimes and through many different incarnations. Since long before the arrival of the Nords from Atmora.'

Virdanyis looked on in awe; For him, this was the history of his race. he was reverent and respectful, as I wanted him to be. Teldryn was still wary. Although he was used to the dragons by now, he had not fully trusted them since they tried to kill him and Marcurio in Skuldafn. No amount of persuasion from me could get him to let it go entirely.

'It will not be like that for you. You will not be commanding Voslaarum and Naslaarum; you will be working with them. They are ancient and powerful creatures, deserving of great respect. These are dragons, not horses.'

'Why do you need us to ride them, sera?'

It was a reasonable question; But one that had two answers, one of which I was reluctant to admit.

'Because we're taking them to Windhelm. I will be riding Odahviing, and the dragons need strategic guidance. They'll destroy everything in sight otherwise.' I paused briefly before I continued; an uneasiness began to build in my chest. 'I also need Voslaarum and Naslaarum to learn how to accept other riders. I may not be capable of taking them to war soon... as the baby's arrival approaches. If they will not allow others to ride them, they will be useless to us during the period of my confinement.'

Virdanyis and Teldryn quietly cast their eyes down; as if each of them blamed themselves for causing my condition. It was awkward.

'You two are my best men. If anybody is going to take my dragons into battle, it should be you.'

They both remained silent as they shifted their feet, and the dragons hissed quietly in the background. The reality of the problems we were dealing with was becoming apparent, and it was confronting.

I didn't know if this was going to work. It was risky. But I knew that the Thalmor forces we would be fighting in Windhelm would be nowhere near equipped to deal with an onslaught of three, maybe four dragons; They would not be expecting even one. It was a perfect opportunity to start practising.

Naslaarum issued a low growl, beginning to toss his head; Voslaarum continued to watch us intently, his horizontally split pupil focusing on Virdanyis. They grew impatient. I took a deep breath as I began to get things moving.

'Alright; Here are the basic rules. Do not kick them. Do not swear at them. Do not pull their spines. They will do as you tell them as long as you address them respectfully. Do not ever sit anywhere other than the saddle. Hold onto the reins as tightly as you can, and never remove your feet from the stirrups. You will fall off if you do. I guarantee it. ' I sighed loudly, watching the slight fear and hesitation creep across their faces.

'Virdanyis, go and mount Voslaarum. Teldryn, you will be taking Naslaarum. Let's go.'


	22. Chapter 22: The Eve

'It has begun.'

Gelebor stood solemnly by the queen's side as Virdanyis bowed, his voice calm, but tainted with a hint of anger; his lieutenants stood behind him in full armour, just as my pair of Redoran Elite waited behind me.

'Winterhold is under attack, my queen. A Thalmor force of nine hundred has swept in from the north and marches upon the capital. Civilian casualties are suspected to already number in the high hundreds after only two nights of fighting.'

Nysteris had been expecting the news. Her face was cold and neutral as she looked down her nose at us from the throne, her white fingers clawing the stone arms of her seat slightly as she sat perfectly still.

As she began to speak, I heard that terrifying undercurrent of ruthlessness that I had become so familiar with; the calculating coldness combined with a quiet excitement, a vicious curiosity. She was preparing.

'I had suspected Eastmarch would be first. What allies have come to assist the Jarl of Winterhold?'

Virdanyis kept his eyes cast down and remained bowing as he addressed her, following royal protocol. 'Small detachments of two hundred men have been sent from The Pale and Eastmarch. A substantial legion of four hundred imperial soldiers from Haafingar Hold are not expected to arrive for another three days. If the forces from The Pale and Eastmarch attack before their arrival, both they and the imperial forces will be annihilated by the Thalmor army with little effort.'

Her eyes burned into the general as she spoke, her voice lowering in pitch. 'How long before they reach the capital?'

'At their current rate of progress, by tomorrow night. The Jarl of Winterhold calls for your aid through Jarl Elisif in Solitude, my queen. Without a force that can reach the capital in time, all will be lost.'

I saw a dark shadow pass over Gelebor's face as he looked at Nysteris, her huge eyes widening in surprise. 'Jarl Elisif?'

'Please consider your commitment carefully, my queen.' Gelebor spoke firmly. 'Excluding the Avatars, we have no forces capable of reaching Winterhold in time to save the capital.'

'Why did they not prepare?' She hissed to herself through gritted teeth, a look of frustration creeping across her face. 'Nine hundred Thalmor! How did nobody see this coming?!'

I was taken aback by her reaction.  
Nysteris had been anticipating large scale conflict with the Thalmor for some time now. If anything, she had been looking forward to the opportunity to ravage the Thalmor forces and send them running with their tails between their legs; she had spoken repeatedly of nipping the Thalmor problem in the bud with a vulgar display of power to give her a chance to deal with it before she could no longer engage them personally due to her pregnancy.

But she now looked shocked; enraged and taken by surprise.  
Nine hundred Altmer, in Winterhold instead of Windhelm. And they had deliberately organised to make the resistance they would face as easy to destroy as possible, in two digestible chunks.

I knew she was going to take the dragons; but whether they would be enough to make a difference remained to be seen. And the armies attacking Winterhold were only a fraction of what the Thalmor had at their disposal.

I didn't want her to go.

Every day that passed brought closer the day of the baby's arrival. Nysteris had next to no sense of self preservation. And I feared that her involvement in the battle for Winterhold would only draw the Thalmor's wrath more directly upon us.

'Sera. To act upon this, you will officially be declaring war upon the Thalmor and placing The Vale firmly among the allies of the Nords.' I stared her in the eye and folded my arms as I spoke slowly and calmly. 'Once you have placed your piece on the board, you cannot take it off.'

Gelebor and Virdanyis remained silent as they watched her face. The tension in the room was thick and uncomfortable; nobody wanted to try to sway her.  
She didn't know what to do. I could see it. The frustration was building within her like a storm.  
She had never planned for nine hundred.  
'If we are to reach Winterhold before them, we must leave now.' I spoke to her softly, trying to bring her back down to the present.

'Virdanyis? Gelebor? What are your thoughts?'

Gelebor sighed. 'I believe, my queen, that we no longer have the option to wait in The Vale as Skyrim burns. If we do nothing, eventually we will all fall. And refusing a request for aid would only result in receiving a refusal in return if we find ourselves in the same situation as the Jarl of Winterhold.' He paused. 'But I shudder at the thought our queen leaving for war at a time like this, when she is with child and vastly outnumbered by her enemies.'

'I concur.' Virdanyis finally stood up and straightened himself to look her in the face. 'We risk our queen's life by acting. But that risk is better than the certainty of defeat we will face if we do nothing.' He gripped his spear, resting its end on the carpet next to his feet. 'If we send ground troops, they will not reach Winterhold in time, and our lack of presence will be seen by the Jarls as a refusal to assist. We must send The Herald. We have little choice.'

Nysteris was quiet for the longest time.  
I could see the gears of her mind working as she stared vacantly ahead, her white knuckles resting against her temple and her right hand resting protectively on the little bump of her belly.

It was agonising for me to watch.

After all of the time I had spent in constant worry, fearful that she would end her pregnancy of her own accord, I could now see her hesitating to do what she needed to - what she wanted to - for fear of losing what she had grown to care for.

I could never have borne the weight of a decision such as the one she would be forced to make.

It was true what she had said to me once: 'anybody who thinks that leadership is a privilege does not understand what leadership means. It is a responsibility, a greater one than you are ever likely to bear again. If you do it properly... It is all about sacrifice.'

'Gelebor.' Her quiet voice snapped me out of my sad musings. 'Prepare a statement and a declaration to present to the people. I am taking the Avatars, along with Captain Sero and General Virdanyis, to assist in the defense of Winterhold. You are acting Monarch in my absence.'

'Yes, my Queen.' He bowed respectfully. His face was pained and drawn, although Nysteris could not see it.

'You two.' Her large eyes flickered between the two of us, burning with determination and resolve. 'Appoint your successors and your retainers to act in your absence. You have half an hour. Gear up and meet me at the lake shrine; We are going to war.'

* * *

The wind was freezing. I shrugged slightly to shift the thick fur lining the heavy Ancient Falmer cuirass as I stretched my arms, trying to keep warm; I looked on in mild intrigue as Virdanyis simply stood there and looked out over The Vale, the snowflakes not melting on the white skin of his exposed biceps as he stared. The cold did not exist to him.

'Do you think we'll return from this?' I asked him through gritted teeth as I hugged my arms. I was struggling to keep from shivering uncontrollably.

He turned his head calmly toward me, his white hair whipping around the sides of his ancient Falmer crown as he frowned slightly. 'Of course we will.' His tone was firm and polite as he held my stare with pale and vivid eyes. 'This is only the beginning, my friend. We are making history; bask in it.'

I could see now what made him the fearsome general that I had been led to believe that he was.  
Although cultured and eloquent, and prone to impatience, he was without a shred of panic or fear.

I had never seen him in battle before. A small part of me was intensely curious to witness it; to see if he would be merciful or ruthless, bloodthirsty or carefully controlled.

Snow Elves often seemed to have a dual nature. Although lacking the arrogance of the Altmer, they were not without prejudice or free from bloodlust.

I heard a massive roar screech through the air as I saw the familiar shadows of the Avatars burst forth from behind the dome of the chantry.

It would be the first time I had fought on a dragon mount without Nysteris beside me; and without her sister.  
I still wasn't sure whether I was ready to do what was being asked of me. Naslaarum was aggressive and difficult to control; I knew that Virdanyis was having similar problems with Voslaarum, although not to the same degree.

We were not Dragonborn, and never had that been more clear to me than now. What came effortlessly to Nysteris was a significant struggle for the rest of us.

As the great dragons landed heavily upon the ice of the lake and she dismounted, her eyes glowing with blue fire in her full Herald armour and horned crown, silver spear as her side, I felt ridden with doubt.

Her armour hid her pregnancy perfectly; her bump was still just small enough to enable her to wear it. For a moment, it seemed as though she was the terrifying, soul-eating demigod that I had grown to love and fear, almost invulnerable, the Herald of War preparing to raze the Thalmor armies to the ground with a bloodlust and enthusiasm which struck fear into the hearts of men.

But despite the armour, the blazing eyes, the silver horns and the dragons, it was almost as if I could see it as clear as day.

Her uncertainty; her hesitation; the child growing inside of her that weakened her a little more as each day passed. Her body and her mind.

'I hope you have prepared yourselves.' She spoke firmly, her voice unwavering as the black fur lining her armour ruffled in the freezing wind. But I could feel it radiating from her; something unfamiliar that she tried to hide which I was not used to witnessing in my beloved queen.

Fear.


	23. Chapter 23: Tactics

'Jarl Agmundr.'

Virdanyis and Teldryn took long strides through the Jarl of Winterhold's long hall toward the throne as I followed behind, my eyes fixed firmly upon Agmundr as we approached.

The Jarl looked tired and worn; although only a relatively young man, the stress he had evidently endured in the previous days had taken its toll.  
His dry and bloodshot eyes observed us warily as we approached, his fist moving from its position underneath the slightly matted mass of his light brown hair;His voice was low and cautious as his guards moved closer to his sides, their arms folded as they glared at us from beneath their concealing helms.

'Who are you? State your business.'

More guards emerged from the adjacent rooms and drew their swords as we came to a standstill before the throne; they hesitated in confusion as they beheld our unfamiliar and unusual appearance.

'My Jarl, we come at your request and that of High Queen Elisif to assist in the defense of Winterhold.'

Before Virdanyis could continue, the door of the long hall loudly burst open behind us, the frantic and panicked voice of a guard echoing loudly throughout the room.

'My Jarl! Dragons! Three of them, perched atop the College! We are under attack!'

A unanimous gasp rang out among the assembled bodies of the hall as the Jarl leaned forward in shock. 'What!'

'Please, your honour. Do not be alarmed. We come to aid you. Our dragons will do you no harm.'

Virdanyis' voice was calm and solemn as we remained standing before the court, our attention fixed upon Agmundr.

His eyes widened and his expression became blank as his gaze turned from Virdanyis and Teldryn and came to rest upon me; when his voice emerged, it was quiet with surprise and wonder as he realised who we were.

'You... Snow Elves... You are the Snow Queen?'

A perfect silence broke across the hall.

'We did not think you really existed...'

A wave of shock rippled through me as I felt a distinct stirring in my belly; I released a small gasp at the strange sensation. Teldryn reached behind him and gently but firmly wrapped his rough fingers around my hand. It was almost as if he knew; although he was affectionate by nature, he did not often comfort me in such ways, because I did not often need it. I felt momentarily vulnerable; I allowed myself to be calmed by him as he spoke to the Jarl.  
'There is little time for introductions, I'm afraid.' His voice was low and deep with that characteristic rasp. 'We need to get to the front lines before the Thalmor forces reach the city. You must send word of our arrival to your men to prevent them from attacking the dragons.'

The Jarl looked hesitant for a moment, giving us a sideways glance as he signalled to his steward to commence with sending the order. 'Your men have not yet joined our forces?'

'We did not bring soldiers. We cannot afford to commit them yet and they would never have reached you in time.' He paused for a moment before continuing; I saw Agmundr's eyes fix upon Teldryn's hand as it held mine. 'We can only offer our support in the form of four dragons, and ourselves. Our queen is the Dragonborn. You will find that our assistance will make a significant difference to your chances.'

The guards looked at one another in astonishment, returning their gazes to us with expressions of awe; whispers rippled through the hall.

I didn't want to talk to them. All I could think about was the upcoming battle; I watched on numbly as the courier carrying the notice of our arrival sprinted from the hall.

I could hear Virdanyis' confident and authoritative voice as he continued to talk with Jarl Agmundr. I couldn't absorb what he was saying; my mind was scattered and unfocused. The fear was still there.  
I followed Teldryn's lead as he gently led me away into one of the rooms off the side of the main hall, the guards craning their necks to watch curiously as he shut the door behind us.  
We were in the Jarl's quarters. I glanced around me, the anxiety simmering in my chest as Teldryn led me toward the bed and guided me to sit down next to him.  
I felt him slowly stroke my hair down my back with a great tenderness and affection; his fingers remained interlocked with my own as he spoke in a soft and gentle voice.  
'I know you are fearful, sera...'  
There was an expression of melancholy in his face as he gazed into my eyes. 'I would do anything if I could take it away from you.' He leaned over to gently kiss my cheek as he rested his hand on my back. 'Can you go on?'

His display of sympathy had the opposite effect to what he had intended; I felt the vulnerability well up from within me as I struggled to hold back the tears.

'I felt it move...'

My lip began to quiver ever so slightly as I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek; I saw the pain in Teldryn's face as he pulled me toward him in an embrace, its comfort hindered by the hardness of our armour.

Everything I cared about was at risk now.

I could lose my dragons, my general; my baby; my lover; my life.

This was nothing like fighting Alduin, when I had gone to battle alone with my sister against a single enemy with Teldryn left elsewhere as a precaution. I had nothing to lose then, except for him.  
There had been no Falmer Kingdom. No baby. No threat to the Avatars.

I even risked losing Odahviing.

If he fell in battle, I would absorb his soul. There would be nothing I could do to stop it.

'I would force you to stay in this room if I thought I had the power to.' He murmured into my ear as he hugged me. 'If it were up to me, you'd be back in The Vale eating snowberries and sweet rolls, having your feet rubbed and letting Gelebor and your best men do the dirty work.'

I smiled as I sniffed loudly, dripping tears on his shoulder.

'You are a terrifying, fearsome warrior. You killed Alduin; you ride dragons and eat their souls; you can disintegrate a man with a single shout. These Nords in Winterhold thought you were a myth. That baby is at least half as tough as you are. Give him some credit.' He grinned as he pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears away from my cheek with his thumb. 'And he'll have his father's brains. Because he will be born, and you and I will walk away from this war, just like we have from everything that has come before it.'

I stared at him with a droll and sarcastic smile, and he returned the gesture, raising an eyebrow.

'I don't know where to start on all that.' I leaned on him, resting my shoulder against his. 'A boy now, is it?'

'For now. I can never choose.'

'Teldryn... You can't go on assuming that the baby...'

'Oh, shush. You know that I don't care who the father is.'

I paused, looking up at him as he leaned over to kiss the top of my head.

'Yes you do.'

'It won't make any difference to me, Sera. I'm not going anywhere. If Virdanyis is the lucky one, then it is what it is. Maybe it will even alleviate some of my guilt.' He smiled. 'There will be plenty of time for us.'

I was calmer now.

I was still afraid; there was still so much that could go wrong. But Teldryn had managed to talk me down; the calmness being displayed by him was soothing. I often forgot how much I needed him to be near me to ease my burdens.

I heard the door open softly as Virdanyis entered, quietly walking to stand before us.

'We need to wait for the courier to deliver the message to the commanders. Around half an hour.'

I gathered my resolve as I sat up straight. 'We need to talk about our approach.' I hardened my gaze as I looked at him. 'What do you propose, General?'

'Well, your highness. We may be vastly outnumbered,' he began, 'but we have some unique advantages. We will be airborne. It will be highly unlikely that the Thalmor forces will have any individual units comparable to even one dragon. As a side note, I would strongly suggest that we protect our mounts with strong magical Wards. Our opponents are adept at magic use.'

'So are we.' I frowned in concentration. 'What else?'

'We must utilise them to herd the Thalmor forces from the air. We have four dragons; if they attempt a pincer manoeuvre, we have enough mobility to either force them to reunite, or section their forces and destroy them as smaller armies, with the help of our ground units from The Pale and Eastmarch.'

'Good.' I nodded as I ran through the tactical logistics in my head. It was a wise approach.

'But our greatest asset comes from elsewhere. Above all else, we must inspire fear and panic.'

'We can say with certainty that they have never faced multiple, organised dragons in battle before. They will not be expecting it, and they will not be prepared. Break their ranks. Fill their hearts with unadulterated terror, so that their survivors will speak of it when they return.' An evil smile crept across Teldryn's face as he spoke, his voice a low growl. 'Remind them of who you are, sera. There is no other in this world who can inspire fear like you.'

Virdanyis smiled his agreement from his position.

'It is they who should be afraid, my queen. I do think... That you will find this to be less difficult than you are anticipating.'

I could feel a familiar darkness begin to grow within me; That familiar old malice and lust, the desire to dominate and destroy.

Perhaps they were right. I knew they were trying to rouse my bloodlust.

A dark smile began to creep across my face.

This could even be fun.


	24. Chapter 24: Blood Rage

The sky was darkening as evening began to dawn; I could feel the vibrations in my legs through the ornate saddle as Naslaarum growled and hissed beneath me, his massive, scaled wings rising and falling slowly by his sides as the cold wind rushed past my ears.

Virdanyis and Voslaarum rose up into view on my right; Voslaarum's huge eye glowed with a vivid, pale mauve iridescence in the darkening twilight, a great, loud rush of breath whooshing from his nostrils as he pushed down his wings. Virdanyis wore a look of grim determination, his eyes squinting against the rushing air as he held his shining silver spear at his side in his left hand, his long white hair whipping in the wind behind him as he gripped the gilded reins.  
He looked like a picture, brought to life from the pages of an ancient tome; like the illustration I had seen in that dusty bronze book I had read at Nysteris' home in Whiterun all of those years ago; a picture of The Heralds.

But even in all his war-bound glory, he was but a figment compared to Nysteris.

She rode bareback ahead of us on the neck of Odahviing, the dragon's size at least another half as big as the mounts we rode; the dark blood-red of his scales reflected the fading sunlight as the long, black spines running down his back cast a terrible silhouette against the setting sun. Each beat of his massive wings was slow and powerful, causing him to rise and fall slightly in the sky with each movement; the huge talons of his feet were dirty and stained with old blood.

Nysteris herself was a vision of terror. The long quicksilver horns of her black crown curved up and behind her head, her mane of long, black hair thrashing in the wind as her midnight-dark armour glowed with the magical power of the enchantments it bore. Auriel's Bow was attached firmly to her back, the silver Snow Elf quiver of blood cursed and sun-hallowed elven arrows resting next to it. She carried her ornate Herald spear in her right hand, gripping Odahviing's black spines with her left; as she turned her head to look at Virdanyis and I, I saw the vicious snarl fixed upon her stark white face, blue-white magical light emanating from her wide, black-rimmed eyes.

In amidst my rushing adrenaline and concentrated focus, I could feel the thrill of the Eve of battle. The power, the excitement, the aggression.

Although I had formerly feared for Nysteris and the baby, I could see now that Virdanyis and I had whipped her up and agitated her enough that her bloodlust had risen. She was in her element, champing at the bit to begin the slaughter; there was no longer reason to fear. The atmosphere was electric, the anticipation barely able to be contained.

We could see the soldiers of Eastmarch and The Pale littered on the ground beneath us on the flat plain as we flew over the tops of the craggy, snow covered mountains; they appeared as tiny, moving specks, closely packed together with their faces raised to the skies.

And in the distance, we saw them: The Thalmor army.

The size of it dwarfed the Nord forces in comparison.

Mounted Thalmor wizards marched behind a solid line of archers in gleaming elven armour. Warriors marched with swords drawn, their faces obscured by their gilded helmets; The standard bearer held high the banner of the Thalmor; the four commanders each took a position near the front line, riding tall white horses.

'Down!'

I barely heard her voice as she shouted behind her at us, but the Avatars heard it perfectly.

I gasped in shock and gripped onto the reins tightly as Naslaarum suddenly began to dive down, a deep rumble building in pitch within his chest.

Nysteris was about to greet the Nord army and summon Durnehviir. The stage was set.

A great cheer rose up from the four hundred Nords as we burst into view on the backs of our dragons; Nysteris shouted at Odahviing and kicked his side as she twirled her spear to face forward, and the great dragon spread his wings wide as he arched his neck; As he began to swoop down and Naslaarum and Voslaarum followed, all three dragons released the most deafening, thunderous roars I had ever heard; their jaws opened so wide that they appeared distorted, the excruciatingly loud noise sending pain shooting through my head.

The cheering from the Nords became louder as we approached; they were wild with awe and excitement. Although vastly outnumbered, the faith they seemed to place in us almost seemed to make them forget about the Thalmor forces that were rapidly approaching ahead of them.

"DURNEHVIIR!"

The Thu'um resonated heavily in my chest as it echoed in the cold air; the Nords on the ground ducked and winced as the heavy sound rang out.

I felt Naslaarum pull back underneath me and rear up, releasing a frenzied, high-pitched screech as the dark portal opened up, and from it emerged the most horrific creature I had ever seen.

Yet another deafening roar seared through the air as the massive beast burst forth, gliding through the darkening sky on rotted wings of webbed flesh; the huge bones of its chest and neck jutted forth from its decayed carcass, the long, curved teeth in its mouth dripping with rot as it opened its jaws. A rippling magical barrier simmered across the surface of its body as it soared forward, uttering dragon words in its booming voice as it flew over the heads of the awe-struck Nords.

The very ground seemed to shake at the sound of the four dragons; never before had I been witness to such raw power and spectacle.

I could hear the chant rising up from the men as they smashed their swords and shields together, shouting out in synchrony to the skies.

_'The Dragonborn comes! Death is at hand!'_

I saw the evil, manic smile on Nysteris' face, her teeth bared and her eyes glowing as she roughly pulled on Odahviing's spines to guide him up and around; Naslaarum followed, gravity suddenly pulling me backward as he rose up, screeching.

Virdanyis and Voslaarum passed beneath us like a swift and dark shadow, turning to race towards the Thalmor army along with the other dragons, the chanting of the Nords echoing out behind us.

It was time for a vulgar display of power.

The Thalmor horses reared in panic at the deafening sound of the dragons, attempting to buck their riders; Altmer faces turned toward the skies in sheer horror and disbelief, some turning to run as the huge rushes of flames issued forth from the mouths of our whipped-up and fevered mounts.

'Wards! Now!'

I held tightly onto the reins as I raised my right hand and focused hard to cast the ward.

It was no easy task to summon a ward vast enough to cover an entire dragon.  
I saw Odahviing and Voslaarum burst aglow with light as the snow elves cast their wards; I gritted my teeth with hard determination before releasing the energy in my right fist, and Naslaarum and I became engulfed with light.

As powerful as I felt at this moment, the truth was that I was not in control of Naslaarum; and Virdanyis was not in control of Voslaarum.

Although the Avatars had reluctantly agreed to allow us to ride them, they were still only truly responsive to Nysteris. We did not need to tell them what to do, and it was not likely that they would listen to us if we did.

We were there to intervene if they became too frenzied, or were caught in the grips of a blind blood rage.

Nysteris had enough to handle as it was; she couldn't direct four dragons simultaneously, and the tactical nature of the fear campaign we were running depended on a strong show of unity as well as power.

I found myself quietly praying to Azura, begging that the Avatars would maintain their control.

'FAAS RU MAAR!'

Nysteris released the shout as she reached up to snatch Auriel's bow, nocking a sun-hallowed arrow as Odahviing screamed fire at the volley of archers; Voslaarum and Naslaarum suddenly twisted in the air, releasing their Drain Vitality thu'um at the tightly packed mass of Thalmor.

As soon as Nysteris' shout impacted the Thalmor, panic broke out.

Soldiers dropped their swords and shields and screamed in terror, desperately shoving their fellow soldiers to escape from the dragons.

The wizards hollered at the tops of their voices, shooting lightning from their hands at the dragons; it dissipated against their protective wards as if it were nothing but a light show.

The Altmer commanders struggled to maintain order as Durnehviir summoned his minions from the Soul Cairn, the glowing black skeletons and Mistmen erupting spontaneously among the Altmer ranks. The infection of fear was spreading through them like a virus.

And then, suddenly, a blinding light exploded from the sky.

The searing brightness obliterated all vision for a moment; all I could hear were the screams of the Thalmor and the roars of the dragons as I desperately gripped the reins.

It was as my vision returned that I saw the white-hot balls of burning light come screaming down from the sky and begin to explode upon the ground like bombs.

And then I heard it; and as the blinding light cleared from my vision, I saw it.

'FUS... RO DAH!'

The sheer force of the shout almost ripped the air itself as it burst forth from her; It almost seemed to crack the sky.  
And as it struck the panicked and half-blinded Altmer, I saw their flesh burn away. Dissolve like ash in the wind as their remains were obliterated, thrown into the air along with the broken bodies of their still-living brothers and sisters, fractured and helpless.

'FALL BAAAACK!'

It was a display of true horror. The scream of the Thalmor commander amidst the fever-pitch hysteria and panic, the bursting explosions of destructive light showering down upon the ground, the deafening shrieks of the Avatars as they tossed their heads and unleashed their gouts of flame.

I caught a glimpse of Nysteris' face as she pulled a blood cursed arrow from her quiver and prepared to fire it into the sun.

She was in the grips of uncontrolled bloodlust; her eyes were wide and without pupils, consumed with blue fire. Her face was twisted with evil and unbridled malice; a darkness of the likes of which I had never witnessed.

Fear pierced my heart.

It was only minutes into the fighting. The Nordic Army had not even begun to advance yet.

She was out of control. Bodies and blood, panic as far as the eye could see; pain, cruelty, hysteria, death. The Thalmor were already beginning to withdraw.

The sun itself was bending to her will as she cut a terrible, bloody swathe through the Thalmor forces; not a shred of mercy resided within her.

I had not until now understood what kind of power she truly wielded; why the Thalmor had wanted to enlist her allegiance, despite the tiny size of her kingdom and their lack of alliances with others.

I had to bring her back down.

'NYSTERIS!'

I bellowed at her from atop Vaslaarum, desperately hoping to snap her out of her blood rage; but then the dragon beneath me suddenly began to change.

Vaslaarum suddenly twisted in the air and screamed, reaching his head around to snap his huge jaws shut with terrifying force just inches away from my leg.

'Gah! NYSTERIS! ANSWER ME!'

The dragon began to flip completely upside down in the air as I struggled to keep my grip, holding desperately onto the reins as I began to panic.

I was losing her.

The sun suddenly became dark; a blood red mist quickly blackened the sky as the screams intensified.

'MUL QAH DIIV!'

I didn't know what was happening.

But I knew that something needed to happen to break her out of her fervour; she was going to destroy everything.  
Friend and foe alike.


	25. Chapter 25: Flee

It was carnage; sheer carnage on a scale which I had not been witness to in all of my years as a warrior.

She was cloaked in the spectral armour of the Dragon Aspect. Shout after shout thundered through the air as she roared in unbridled rage at the terrified masses beneath her. Odahviing snatched living soldiers from the battleground in his massive teeth as he flew with The Queen on his back, thrashing them brutally like rag dolls until their bodies tore apart, blood showering down upon the Thalmor forces as they succumbed to the fear and panic; what corpses remained intact were quickly summoned back into horrific unlife to raise their weapons against their own kind in service to the Dragonborn.

Hundreds already lay dead and mutilated, their blood staining the snowy ground like a vast crimson blanket.

I was stunned, desperately trying to keep my grip on Naslaarum as he shrieked in fury and twisted in the air in an attempt to dislodge me. Even as he fought me, he unleashed fire in massive, intense rushes at the Altmer on the battle field, their screams ringing through the air like a symphony from the deepest pits of damnation as the flames engulfed them and their flesh melted and burned away.

Naslaarum was racing toward the ground at impossible speed as the deafening hiss of the wind rushed past my ears.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, so fast that I feared it would give out; I had to get off the dragon. It would kill me if I didn't.

As I prepared to leap from Naslaarum's back and roll onto the snow to break my fall, I saw a flare of white flame enter my field of vision, engulfing the galloping skeleton of a long dead horse.

'TELDRYN! JUMP!'

Virdanyis held his hand out as far as he could, his eyes burning with determination and anger as he kicked his mount to urge it forward; a deep cut ran down the side of his face over his left eye, his white hair matted with his own blood.

His gaze burned into me as I pulled my feet free from the stirrups and braced myself to fall; as I released the reins, he shouted and kicked the horse hard, forcing it to jump up so that he could reach me as I fell.

He grunted as his armoured hand gripped my wrist with the strength of an iron band, pulling me up onto the back of the fearsome accursed animal; I fell forward heavily against him, my breath knocked out of me as he sharply turned the horse around and began to gallop back toward the Nord army. 'Yah!'

He thrust his spear through the chest of a fleeing Thalmor mage and brutally withdrew it as he yelled back at me, the horse rapidly running toward the horrified Nords assembled some distance away from the fighting.

'Leave her! She will kill you if you try to stop her! We must protect the human forces!'

I turned my head back in stunned horror to watch her as she butchered the terrified Altmer soldiers.

She had dismounted, all four of her dragons corralling the Thalmor army like sheepdogs, destroying those trying to flee with huge fountains of fire as they released deafening roars; Durnehviir was tearing the very souls from the helpless soldiers, their faces stricken with hysterical fear as their fallen comrades rose up from the bloody snow next to them to run them through.

Nysteris was standing in the middle of the frenzied and frantic multitudes, lighting up the blood-red darkness with the glow of her spectral armour.  
As I watched on in horror, she summoned all of her rage; and with an explosion of incomprehensible force, she released a thu'um so deafening and powerful that I felt it push us forward on the back of the horse.  
The shock waves levelled every Altmer for meters, their bodies falling like dominoes in a terrible detonation with Nysteris at the epicentre.  
No sooner had the moment passed, and she began impaling bodies with her spinning spear, ripping the screaming wounded apart with her bare hands, blood spraying around her like a terrible fountain. Limbs torn away, heads crushed beneath her armoured heel. Her face was twisted with pure rage and power, a vicious, snarling smile contorting her mouth; she licked the blood from her lips as she cut the fleeing men and women to pieces, viscera and bone collapsing around her.

This was not a battle; it was a massacre.

With their own dead rising up to destroy them, with the avatars of Auri-El and the dragons from Monahven and the soul cairn unleashing their full might upon them, with the Dragonborn in an uncontrollable and unbridled blood rage in their very midst; the Thalmor did not stand a chance.

I was shaken to my very core.

I was overwhelmed with horror at the idea that Virdanyis and I had willingly agitated her bloodlust before the battle; that the one whom I loved and cherished, the beautiful woman who slept in my arms and yielded to me in our moments of sweet passion; that this was her true nature.

More earth shattering thu'ums cracked through the air around us as Virdanyis shouted at the top of his lungs to me over the deafening noise.

'We have to get out of here!' He bellowed. 'It's too late to bring her down!'

I was numb as the horse reared and Virdanyis turned his attention to address the Nords, their faces blank with shock and disbelief as they beheld the horrific scene unfolding before them.

'You, men and women of Skyrim! Return to Winterhold! The battle is won, and your lands are safe! But you must flee if you wish to return with your lives!'  
He turned his fiery gaze toward me, his teeth clenched and his brow furrowed. 'Snap out of it, brother. We must return to The Vale... Yeargh!'

My mind was a haze as Virdanyis kicked the horse and it sped through the night, away from the rivers of blood and the screams of the dying.

Nysteris; my Nysteris.

I would never be able to see her the same way again.


	26. Chapter 26: Aftermath

I could hear the crackling of the fires and the low rumble of the avatars before I opened my eyes.

The smell of blood and charred hair flooded my senses; I could feel wet snow beneath my hands as I moved my fingers, my cheek resting in the freezing slurry as I lay sprawled on my stomach. Something heavy bumped against my elbow as I moved my arm.

I felt concussed. Like I was suffering from the effects of a powerful hangover.

It was only as I tried to open my eyes that I felt the pain; the ache of bruised flesh covering my body, the sting of salty sweat in open wounds. Sticky blood lined the black fur inside my armour. I coughed and spat as a bloody fractured tooth rolled across my tongue from the back of my mouth, the aching hole gaping where it had leaked blood into my cheek.

My vision was a blur as I slowly opened my eyes, still lying face down in the filthy snow.

The glare of burning fires dimly came into focus; the wind rustled through the torn and bloodied robes of dead Thalmor, their butchered and burnt bodies lying in piles around me.

Blood covered everything in a rancid, congealed slick. Organs lay strewn next to disembowelled corpses; the gleaming white surfaces of broken bones protruding from fractured limbs surrounded me.

The snow fell silently upon the eerily still scene of death. The snowflakes settled on their pallid skin and hair, resting on the surfaces of open and dead eyes.

_'Victory is yours on this night of tears, qolaas. Saviik se iiz fahliil.'_

Naslaarum's unnaturally deep, growling voice was uncharacteristically low and soothing; it was then that I realised that he was sheltering me beneath his enormous wing.

He slowly and gently brought his head around to bring the tip of his beak close to the side of my face; I smelled the smoke as a gentle rush of his hot breath blew across my skin.

Voslaarum sat on the snow in front of me, calm and still, his huge eyes inquiring almost gently as he lowered his face to see me, the broken silver reins dangling from the sides of his mouth.

_'Kos hiu sahlo, Dovahkiin?'_

I vaguely recognised the words. _Are you weak, Dragonborn?_

They were protecting and nursing me.  
After the destruction I had wrought and the things I had expected of them, they were here guarding me as if I were a wounded kitten.

I winced in pain as I tried to get up; my arms gave out beneath me and I fell back down into the sloppy snow, noticing with some shock that my wrist had been slashed and that I had only limited movement in my left hand; nearly all of my little finger had been torn away, the stump of ragged bone and torn skin throbbing with heat.

'Ungh... hargh.' I spat out the split tooth that was still in my mouth, blood spattering the ground next to my face as I exhaled loudly.

My armour was dented. I could feel the strange, excruciating hollowness of the deep cuts on my legs and sides, the edges of the wounds lined with pain.

_'You must return to your people, qolaas.'_

'I.. I can't... get up.'

A sickening wave of intense nausea swept through my body as I turned my face and vomited blood.

The baby.

I could feel the intense cramps, creeping across the surface of the hard lump in my belly in waves as the muscle hardened and bunched up.

A steady, hot trickle of fluid began to pool between my legs.

Naslaarum carefully swung his head down and I heard a dull chink as he closed the tip of his beak around the black metal collar of my cuirass; blood dripped from my mouth as he gently lifted me to my feet, the searing pain of my many wounds causing me to cry out as the action of straightening my posture forced them open.

No scream emerged from my open mouth; only a pitiful dry squeak.

It felt as though my life was slipping away. My body was battered and torn. I collapsed to the ground again as soon as the dragon released his grip, gasping in agony as I realised that my leg was broken.

A low, uneasy growl emanated simultaneously from the avatars as they looked on helplessly, not knowing what to do.

There was nothing that they could do.

_'Try again, Dovahkiin. Unt wah siiv mulaag._'

There was a hint of desperation in Voslaarum's voice; Naslaarum again gently touched his nose to my shoulder as I felt my eyelids become heavy.

The rolling pain in my stomach slowly began to build again as it rippled across my belly; I felt the distinct stirring of the little creature within as the soothing darkness began to creep in around my eyes.

I heard the rumbling growls from the avatars suddenly intensify as their heads suddenly raised and they turned to look behind them; the pounding of hooves crunching in the snow suddenly faded into my hearing as I felt hot tears streak down the sides of my face as I closed my eyes, and all around me became dark.

'No!'

In my state of delirium, I could not tell who it was; it no longer mattered.

The comforting blackness washed over me as I drifted away, and the pain dissolved into it.

There was nothing.


	27. Chapter 27: Home

'Our queen will survive.'

The wave of sheer relief which washed over me as the healer spoke was like heaven. Audible sighs issued from everybody in the hall; Gelebor, Virdanyis, Arch-Mage Nieven, and Aerinda, the little Bosmer I had found in the Thalmor Embassy.

It was she who had healed Nysteris just enough to ensure that she survived the trip back to The Vale on the back of Naslaarum. Without her intervention, the healer informed us, the queen would be dead.

She had been hiding in the woods nearby when the battle had begun, waiting for her moment to assist with her fellow Bosmer rebels; a group of only twenty-six. While they had initially arrived to seize the opportunity to kill some Thalmor and try to secure the queen's favour, once the slaughter began, they had remained hidden in the forest, watching on in horror and fear as the Dragonborn had decimated the Altmer forces.

She may never have shown herself or made her presence known to me if Nysteris had not been on the brink of death. Too terrified to approach the fallen queen while she was guarded by the Avatars, Aerinda and her companions had stopped Virdanyis and I as we tore through the night on horseback to reach The Vale, almost getting herself killed in the process.

It was I who had made the decision to bring her back here to receive the credit she deserved. She hid behind me with her eyes wide, her dirty fingers clinging on to the fabric of my sleeve, just as she had when I had seen her last.

I gazed down at Nysteris as she lay upon the furs on the grand stone bed before us, her body engulfed by ribbons of glowing golden light as the healers worked.

She wore only a thin white cotton shift. Though her snapped leg and most of her major wounds had been healed, her white skin was still stained with blood, and the dark blue and purple of grievous bruising.

Dark circles surrounded her closed eyes; her split lip and bruised cheek made her look so vulnerable. My heart ached to behold her.

'And the baby?' I whispered, my gaze still fixed upon her closed eyes.

The healer sighed softly, a pained look upon her face; all eyes in the room were fixed upon her in agonising suspense as we waited for her answer.

'One appears to be faring well enough; the other may not last.'

It took me a while to register what she had said; time seemed to slow as her words replayed in my mind and the shock rippled through me.

'What?' I gasped quietly. Aerinda gripped my sleeve a little harder as I stood there, stunned. 'There are two?'

'...yes. The queen is a twin, as was her mother before her. It was expected...' Her voice trailed off as she gazed at Virdanyis, her grey eyes heavy with feeling. '...I am sorry. We will do everything within our power to preserve them.'

Virdanyis stood there, his jaw clenched and his face hardened; I thought I could see a fine film of tears appearing over his pale blue eyes. He remained silent, his arms folded, the angry red slash running down his cheekbone creating a vivid streak of red on his stark white skin.

Silence blanketed the room as we all stood still, filled with turbulent emotions as we beheld her damaged body lying before us.

'Anything you need, at any time. Do not hesitate to ask.'

Gelebor's voice was eerily calm as he addressed Arch-Mage Nieven; the older man nodded respectfully in answer to Gelebor's words, their eyes meeting in a solemn, unspoken understanding.

'We need time to focus.'

The healer's words were soft and quiet; Gelebor's tired gaze met with hers as he spoke.  
'Of course.' He turned to look at us as he stood up from his chair, a solemn frown upon his face. 'Gentlemen. A word.'

We numbly trudged after Gelebor as he walked from the queen's chamber into the throne room; Aerinda followed closely behind, still gripping onto my arm.

I had barely spoken a word to her since we had arrived in The Vale; the poor girl was clearly overwhelmed. After everything she had seen and done in the last few hours, from witnessing Nysteris in all her terrible power on the battlefield to helping me prop up her shattered body as we rode the dragons back to the kingdom, she was no doubt in a state of shock.  
But I couldn't think of her at this moment. All I could do was worry.

Maybe I should have been more grateful for the hand that fate had dealt us. The Thalmor had been crushed, the queen was alive and back in The Vale, and she would recover.  
But I was still reeling. From the news of the twins she was carrying, from the terrible spectacle I had witnessed in Winterhold, from the agony of seeing her almost claimed by death for the second time.  
I could not detach like Virdanyis could. Nysteris was my beloved, my joy and my comfort; after what the two of us had been through together over the years, the mere thought of losing her again was agony to me. It made me weak.

'What news of the Thalmor?'

Gelebor pierced us intently with his stare; his face was tired and drawn.  
He had spent the time during our absence in the inner sanctum of the great chantry of Auri-El, fervently praying for victory and the safe return of the queen; it would seem that only part of his prayers had been answered.

'The Thalmor have been defeated in Winterhold. Around two hundred survivors fled the battlefield and are assumed to have returned to the Summerset Isle.' Virdanyis spoke firmly and clearly as he stood before the throne; his hair was still stained with blood.

Gelebor solemnly nodded his approval. 'And the death toll for our allies?'

'None. They never entered the fray.'

Gelebor's frown intensified as his eyes widened and he leaned forward slightly from the throne, eyeing us warily. 'What? Explain this.'

'They were never needed.' My voice cracked slightly as I spoke, reaching down to place my hand reassuringly on Aerinda's arm. 'Four hundred men were waiting for our arrival on the plains; within half an hour, Nysteris and her dragons had taken over the fighting. The battle was won by her and them alone. Any attempts by others to assist would only have resulted in death.'

Gelebor's wide eyes glared at us in shock as he comprehended what we were saying to him; although he had not witnessed it for himself, I could see that he understood the implications.

Moments of silence passed before I gently put my hand on Aerinda's back and guided her forward to stand before the throne.  
She looked up at me with fear in her sloping brown eyes; I nodded slightly to her and forced a gentle smile as I continued to speak.

'This one saved Nysteris' life as she lay dying in the snow after the Thalmor's retreat.' I squeezed her shoulder as she stood before Gelebor, shivering slightly from the cold and the anxiety. 'I believe she deserves the gratitude of our kingdom.'

Gelebor stared at her in surprise for a moment before he spoke. 'Did you now?'

'Um, y-yes... Ah... Sir.' She slowly stepped backward until she bumped into me, releasing a little gasp as she made contact with my armour.

A warm smile appeared on Gelebor's pale and weathered face as he gazed at the little wood elf, a soft expression in his bright eyes as he watched her. 'Praise Auri-El,' he said softly. 'You have saved our kingdom.'

Aerinda's eyes widened as she turned her body toward me and gripped onto my armour, the top of her head barely reaching above my elbow.  
I grinned through my sadness as I mussed her hair with my hand and murmured quietly to her through the side of my mouth.

'You've been practising your first impressions, haven't you?'


	28. Chapter 28: Weak

The frozen lake in the wilderness.

The place where Teldryn and I had first camped after leaving Solstheim over 60 years ago, between Windhelm and Falkreath; the place where we had first known each other's touch.

I was there again, standing by the edge of the ice in my underwear, where I had raised my foot to stamp a hole in the ice.

The air was cold and still; torch bugs danced in the air by the snow-covered shore, a distant symphony of crickets singing through the quiet night.

Was this a dream?

I held my left hand up in front of my face and stretched out my fingers as I turned it; my finger was still there. My wrist was uncut.  
I was certain that I had torn it open on the battlefield in Winterhold; but all of that seemed so far away now. Like a dream within a dream; as if it were nothing more than a pale shade of a memory from another reality.

I moved my tongue along my teeth until I felt them: the long, sharp canines that I had grown so familiar with during my hundreds of years as a creature of the night.

A numbness fell over me as the confusion took hold.

Was this reality?

Had everything since this time been a hallucination; a grand figment, a construction of my mind?

Being cured of my vampirism. finding Faire. Slaying Alduin. Defeating Miraak.

Had any of it ever really happened?

I turned to look at the campsite a short distance away; the small fire lit up the night and reflected from the blanket of snow on the ground, bathing the tent in a warm orange glow.

Teldryn was there, bare-chested and crouching by the fire, a fur draped across his shoulders to keep him warm as he poked the flames with a long stick and roughly bit chunks from a piece of bread.

I felt a warm rush of relief and love wash over me as I saw him; a smile broke on my face as I left my nightingale armour by the lakeside and ran over to him, clad only in my underwear.

'Teldryn!' I called out as my bare feet crunched through the snow.

He looked up quickly, an expression of stern alarm on his face as his red eyes glowed in the light of the fire. The stick dropped from his hand as he quickly stood up and reached for his sword.

I remembered then. He didn't love me yet; He was a mercenary, and I was just his patron. My heart sank as the realisation struck me and I stopped running.

His eyes darted from side to side and all around him as he frowned, braced in a guarded position with his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. He glanced at me warily as he stood there in the snow, the hard, defined muscles on his chest glowing in the firelight.

'What?' he murmured cautiously. I saw his gaze pass briefly over my almost bare body.

'...Nothing.'

I stood there, despondent. I felt hollow; defeated and lonely.

'Are you alright, sera?' his deep voice purred as he began to walk toward me, a look of cautious concern upon his face as he began to unwind the linen bandages which covered his hands and wrists.

My memory of the events of this night had been so sweet. Every moment lingered in my mind like the most beautiful triumph.

'I'm fine,' I lied quietly as I reached out and absently touched his pectoral muscles, running my fingers over his dark grey skin until they reached the top of the tightly wound bandages that covered his abdomen.

To my surprise, he didn't recoil.

A little ripple of excitement flooded through me as he stood there, still as a statue, and allowed me to begin to remove the long linen wrappings. His bare skin was hot to the touch; my heightened sense of smell was gently flooded with his ashy scent.

I stepped closer to him, resting the tip of my nose against him just below his collarbone. I smiled faintly as I remembered how nervous I had been on this night all those years ago when I had realised that he was so much taller than me; As he had tenderly moved my unruly hair away from my face with his fingers and gently lifted my chin up so that he could kiss me for the first time.

_**'You were strong then, Herald.'**_

Fear gripped my heart as I recognised the terrible, evil voice.

Molag Bal.

I gasped as Teldryn's hand shot up to snatch my throat. I looked up in horror to see his red eyes blazing, his iris and pupil obscured by the vicious glow; long, sharp teeth were bared in his mouth as he snarled.

_**'But look at you now... Weak. Broken... And ravaged.'**_

My eyes widened with terror as he grinned and lifted me from the ground by the neck; Suddenly the wounds I had gathered on the battlefield in Winterhold erupted and split my skin, blood bubbling up from my chest and spilling from my mouth.

I had no strength. My legs flailed uselessly in the air beneath me as my hands flew up to my throat, desperately trying to pry his fingers away.

_**'Hahahahahaha!'**_

That deep, terrible, echoing laugh, festering with evil and malice. It rang through my ears as the sky began to bleed dark crimson clouds and the moon changed to red.

_**'You fool. Did you think that you could escape me forever? That I would not be waiting?'**_

He slammed me down into the snow, knocking the air from my lungs as he straddled me to pin me down, his hand still squeezing my neck as he reached down to tear away my underwear; Teldryn's twisted face filled me with terror as he went to bite down hard on the tip of my ear with his sharp teeth, running his cold tongue up the side of my neck. He forced my legs apart with his knees as he brutally forced his fingers inside of me.

I tried to scream as the pain seared through me and the wicked voice boomed in my head, dripping with evil and corruption.

_**'If I cannot break your body, Herald...'**_

The scene around me suddenly dissolved as I found myself on all fours, on my bed in The Vale.

I gasped in unbridled fear as I felt a hand roughly grip my breast and squeeze until the pain was too much to bear; another hand snatched my hip, and a searing agony ripped through me as I was pulled backward and a painful feeling of fullness tore through me as he forced himself excruciatingly deep into me.

I felt tears flood down my face as my scream would not come; It was Virdanyis' red-eyed and twisted face that snarled next to my ear as he leaned over my back, his white hair falling about my face.

_**'...I will break your mind.'**_

Reality came crashing back to me in a sudden rush as I gasped, my hands flying up to my neck as my eyes flew open and I saw the intricately worked stone ceiling of my chambers. Small cries of surprise rang out as the healers scattered.

Teldryn and Virdanyis quickly stood up from their chairs at my bedside, rushing to comfort me as I shuddered in fear, my mind stunned and frozen from the horror.

'Nysteris! it's alright, you're home...' Virdanyis' smooth voice rang in my ears as I felt Teldryn gently touch my shoulder.

'GET AWAY FROM ME!'

The intensity of the scream shocked me as I swiped my arm through the air, tears streaming down my face as my eyes stared blindly ahead of me at the ceiling, my chest heaving with heavy, sobbing breaths.

'Sera...'

'No! no, no, no...'

I broke down into hysteria as I turned onto my side, hiding my face with my hands as I struggled to breathe.

I felt the stirring in my stomach again. It instantly brought flashbacks of the horror I had experienced only moments earlier. I could not remember a time when I had been more shaken and ridden with anguish.

'Get out. All of you.'

I struggled to control my breathing as the room emptied.

I had never thought that Molag Bal would try to reclaim me. That he would wait until my moment of vulnerability to try to drag me down.

And he was right; I could feel it in my flesh, with every little kick that I felt in my womb.

I was weak.


	29. Chapter 29: Restless

'You're enormous. Like a beached netch.'

She opened one eye to look at me and frowned as she lay in the bath, her toes wriggling slightly in annoyance at my comment.

I grinned as I leaned over from my chair and gathered her hair in my hands, running my fingers through its smooth, glossy blackness as I let it fall over the side of the stone. 'It seems to be a compliment when other people tell you how pregnant you are. I don't understand this women's business.'

'Yes you do. Stop being a jackass.'

A slight smile appeared on her white lips as she closed her eyes again, exhaling gently as she sank a little further into the barely warm water. Gleamblossom petals floated around her and rested on the edge of the bath; the white candles burned gently and the incense smoke twirled hypnotically through the air.

The preceding six months had been stressful.

She had not miscarried; but she had been suffering from terrible nightmares, the nature of which she had refused to disclose to me.

Virdanyis was not allowed near her, much to his bewilderment and frustration; although she was more forgiving toward me, there were times when she looked at me with terror in her eyes. At other times, it was rage. She would often wake screaming and sobbing in the night, her clothes wet with sweat and tears. She constantly worried about defending The Vale, wringing her hands as she incessantly spoke of how weak she had become.

I longed to comfort her and bring her peace, but it sometimes seemed as if I was a large part of what was upsetting her.

I could see her trying to push past it; There had been times when she would fall asleep with my arms around her, and I would rest my hand on the smooth hardness of her belly, feeling the kicks and movements and smiling softly to myself as she slept.

We had not been intimate since she had returned from the bloody fields of Winterhold.

While I hungered for it like any other man - I found her ever changing shape to be especially beautiful and feminine - I knew better than to hound her. After seeing what she had done to the Thalmor army, I was almost too afraid. I'd spend my time training with the Redoran Elite, or hunting in the snowy forests instead.

It was a poor substitute.

My men and the Falmer girls of The Vale had taken very well to one another - there were quite a few couples, and even four weddings. I often sat on the great balcony of the inner sanctum with Virdanyis and we smoked a pipe and drank kynsin as I watched them, feeling sorry for myself.

The fact that Virdanyis never seemed to be short of willing partners - apparently of both sexes - was entirely unhelpful. Although he never really spoke of his exploits, it was easy to see that he rarely slept alone. My baser needs were making it difficult to turn my head away from the flirtatious glances of the pretty Falmer girls who had developed a taste for rugged Dunmer men; hearing them exchange stories in hushed giggles in the drinking hall as they lauded the more discreet talents of the Redoran Elite was torturous.

Little waves appeared in the bath water as the babies kicked; I smiled as I gazed down at it, pulling my gaze away from Nysteris' lovely nakedness.

'Has Nieven told you what we're expecting yet?', I asked softly, leaning forward again to remove a petal from her shoulder, her white, wet skin gleaming like polished marble.

'No. But they feel like boys.' She turned her head toward me and looked up, a small smile upon her lips.

'Really?' I grinned broadly, a flourish of excitement blooming in my chest as I stroked her hair again. 'Shall I begin choosing obscure Dunmer names?'

'Like what?' She smiled as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the edge of the bath, seemingly enjoying the feeling of my fingers running through her hair.

'I don't know. I haven't started thinking of any yet.' I pouted comically as I pretended to think. 'Marayn? Relyn? Sulin?'

'You made those up.'

'I did not. My father's name was Marayn.'

'You liar.' She laughed quietly as she lazily reached out over the side of the bath to gently curl her fingers around mine. 'And you forgot that he's still alive.'

I smiled. 'You'll meet him one day soon; I'll make sure of it. I want to see the look on his face. We'll take the dragons.'

The smile slowly faded from her face as she stared ahead of her, gazing miles away as she was lost deep in thought.

'I've been doing some thinking.' Her voice was calm and quiet. 'I need to go away for a while.'

I frowned, rubbing her hand with my thumb. 'Where? You mean after the birth, don't you?'

'...No.' she paused slightly, her gaze still detached. 'Very soon. By myself.'

A ripple of surprise and panic washed over me as I stared at her.

'You can't be serious.' My voice dropped to a low and serious monotone. 'Nysteris, you're only two months away from giving birth. You're defenseless. You are not going anywhere.'

She slowly turned her head to look at me. 'You can try to stop me. But you won't win.' She paused, her gaze burning into me as she continued to speak slowly. 'I wish I could explain it to you. You will understand later.'

I began to panic.

'Look, whatever it is you need to do, it can wait. Just try to explain it to me; you might be surprised.'

'...No.' Her tone was firm. 'I... Can't.'


	30. Chapter 30: Bonds

'How does she fare?', Virdanyis asked quietly as he sat next to me in the snow-covered forest, moving his gaze from the dead sabrecat at our feet up to my face as he gently tapped the ash from the silver pipette with his finger.

He didn't ask about her often any more. The whole hunting trip had passed with not a mention of it; I often thought how strange it was that we'd never talked about the babies.  
There was no need to tiptoe around it. Virdanyis knew that I had never had any intention of abstaining from Nysteris' affections during his engagement with her.  
The more time passed, the closer I came to the conclusion that it wasn't very important to him. He had done as he was told; as far as he knew, if the children were his, he wouldn't be raising them anyway. The royal court would.

We both knew that I had a much greater investment in their paternity.  
I thought I could almost feel a twinge of guilt from him when we spoke of it, as if he wanted to apologise to me, but didn't know what to say.

I smiled at him as I raised the bottle of Sujamma to my lips. 'Any day now.' He grinned at me as I drank, blowing smoke from his nostrils before raising the pipette to his lips again, pausing to speak.

'You'd better enjoy that Sujamma while you can, then. There'll be no time for that when you're a father.'

I was surprised by his remark.

He had given the subject more thought than he had let on.  
'You've decided I'm going to be a father?'

'I gathered as much. In the true sense of the word, if not in a flesh and blood sense.'

I stared at him in mild astonishment, a small smile on my lips. Apparently we'd gone straight from not talking about it to the deep and meaningful, and we'd waited until the babies were due.  
I was humbled by his choice of words. I squinted as I looked out over the white forest and the frozen river and took a long draw on my silver pipette.

'I don't think I ever realised that I wanted to do it until recently.' I grinned at him. 'I won't be letting a group of court matrons raise them in any case. If they turn out to be the next Heralds, I'm taking credit for them. No matter how white they are.'

He laughed quietly, drinking slowly from the bottle of kynsin. 'You'll make me feel like a negligent bastard.'

I grinned. 'I won't hold it against you. Well, not much.'

He looked at me, a slight glimmer in his pale blue eyes; his gaze lingered on my face just long enough to show a twinge of sorrow.

'I don't know how you've made it this far. With one such as her holding your heart.'

I looked down to my feet, feeling suddenly worn and weary; my voice was quiet when I eventually spoke.

'Persistence. And patience.'  
My mind drifted away to the time before Alduin; when I had been a mercenary in Solstheim. I smiled softly at the memory.

'You should have seen her when she first came in to that corner club in Raven Rock. A lost little girl, all dirty and sick.' I paused as I remembered it. 'If anybody had told me how the rest of our story would go back then, I never would have believed them.'

'Do you have any regrets?' He asked with a gentle curiosity.

'No. Not one.'

He smiled warmly to himself as he took my bottle of Sujamma and lifted it to his lips. 'Truly?'

I frowned, deep in thought. 'Actually... There was that time that I did what she told me to, and she died... And then I had to wait for sixty miserable years to get her back... Yes. I do have regrets. I regret some things.'

He laughed a little before he paused.

'Why haven't you married her?'

I felt a hot flush rise up my neck and into my cheeks.

'I've tried to ask her before. I never managed to get the words out. I don't think she'd agree.'

He seemed genuinely surprised by my answer; his brows rose as he stared at me and exhaled a cloud of smoke. 'Really? Is that what you think?'

I scoffed, smiling sarcastically to myself. 'She's not the romantic type. The best way to turn her on is to kill something in front of her or come home with a new scar.' I grinned as I casually pointed my gloved finger toward his face. 'Speaking of which, I'd appreciate it if you kept that covered when she's around. It's improved your looks.'

He smirked as he brushed off my deflection. 'You should ask her. You might be pleasantly surprised.'

'It wouldn't change anything.' I became a little embarrassed.

'Don't be such a milk drinker.'

I laughed, picking up his bottle of kynsin and gesturing to it. 'Does this look like milk to you?'

'Go on. You never know what might happen.'

His words struck an ominous chord within me. I couldn't tell if it had been his intention.  
I sighed as I raised the bottle of kynsin to my lips. 'Maybe you're right.'

A peaceful silence passed between us as we looked out over the forest and the snowflakes drifted gently down through the branches; the type of silence which calmed and reassured.

'Seithring and Adelbhor are watching her?'

'Yes. We'll know if she tries to leave.' He turned to me, looking me in the eye.

'No matter how this turns out, Teldryn... You will always... Be a dear friend to me.' He looked down, awkwardly tapping his finger quietly against the bottle of Sujamma. 'I hope that you will continue to count me among yours.'

I smiled at him, feeling a comfortable warmth grow in my chest. I studied him for a moment before raising the kynsin bottle to my lips again, turning to look out over the snowy Vale as I murmured through the side of my mouth.

'Don't be such a milk drinker.'


	31. Chapter 31: Heartbreak

_**'Get up.'**_

I felt the pain slowly begin to intensify before I opened my eyes.

I gasped in shock as it crept across my belly, gripping harder and harder until I could barely stand it.

Fear and panic flooded through me and tears welled in my eyes as I realised what was happening; I was in labour.

_**'Do it, you weakling. Get up and fetch your servants. Your time has come.'**_

The end had begun.

I could no longer run. Or fight. I was helpless.  
I opened my eyes as the pain finally began to recede.  
My hand trembled as I reached out to touch Teldryn as he lay sleeping in the bed next to me; I felt the tears begin to roll down my cheeks as I felt the hot smoothness of his bare skin.

My heart was breaking.

Crickets chirped in the still night air; the silk drapes moved gently in the cold breeze as the moon shone through them.

I may never see this room again.

Every part of me cried out to wake him up, to beg him to save me from Molag Bal; but it was his life, and the lives of so many others, that had to be saved.

He stirred slightly as I touched his side.

I wanted to sob as I cast the Calm spell, and it travelled down my arm and rippled across the surface of his skin with a soft luminescence. He became still again; my tears fell onto him as I stood up and beheld his sleeping face. His tattoos, his lips, his strong jaw; I tried to preserve a picture in my mind.

I may never see him again.

And if ever I did; I may not remember him.

_**'Do not keep me waiting. I could change my mind.'**_

I tried to swallow my anguish as I walked slowly and quietly into the midwife's quarters next to mine, nursing my belly with my hand as I reached out for the Vale Deer and Sabrecat hides on the stone table next to me.

'Get up.'

I spoke quietly to her as she turned in the bed and sat up to look at me, a tired look of surprise on her face as she spoke.

'Is it time, my queen?'

I clenched my teeth as my knees became weak, and the agony began to creep over me again. I couldn't speak through its intensity as it reached its excruciating peak; as it slowly began to subside, I murmured through gritted teeth.

'Yes.' I glared up at her through the darkness, panting quietly as she looked on in hesitation. 'You're coming with me; we're going on a trip.'

_**'Hahahahaha! Good. I knew you would make the right choice.'**_

The deep, seething evil of Molag Bal's voice echoed in my head; the torturous sound which had haunted my nights ever since Winterhold.

'Do not betray me, Molag Bal.'

_**'Hah! What could you do to stop me if I did? Look at you. Weaker than ever before. I will take your kingdom, your lover, your children...'**_

'No! No. You will not. You are not Boethiah.'

The voice fell silent.

_**'Mmmm. Your mind is still sharp, herald. You play on my... Competitive interests.'**_

I winced as the pain rolled over me again; the midwife eyed me warily as I hissed through my teeth.

'Do we have a deal, monster?'

_**'...yes. I await your arrival... In Cold Harbour.'**_

'My queen...?'

'Get what you need. We are taking the dragon.'

* * *

I rolled over in the bed as I felt a strange peace suddenly leave my body; as if I'd been sedated.

The cold air came in a gentle breeze through the window. It was a still night; the room was bathed in comforting darkness, and soft beams of moonlight.

I suddenly remembered that Nysteris needed to be watched; I quickly put my arm out behind me to feel for her body to put my mind at ease.

My heart leaped into my chest when I felt the cold, empty space next to me.

She was gone.

I gasped as I leaped up out of the bed, adrenaline and panic flooding through my brain as I frantically began to search the chambers.

'Nysteris! Niss! Quickly, come here!'

I burst into the midwife's room, squinting in the dark to try to make out the shape in the bed; there was nothing.

'No. No, no, no no no...'

I could hear my heart thumping in my head as I ran out into the throne room in my underwear, roaring her name at the top of my voice.

'NYSTERIS!'

Gelebor quickly appeared, slightly bleary-eyed as he ran toward me, his robes resting crookedly on his shoulders.

'Teldryn? What are you -'

'She's gone,' I breathed frantically, gripping him by the shoulders as my heart pounded, feeling myself becoming dizzy with the hysteria. 'She isn't there. The midwife, too...'

Gelebor's eyes became wide as he absorbed what I had said.

'Naslaarum and Voslaarum?'

I paused for a second as I realised that their presence would give me the answer.  
I shoved Gelebor aside as I raced back into the chambers and thrust my head out the window to look down at the lake.

The shrine was empty; the word wall was bare.

My head began to spin as I felt a wave of nausea flood over me.

This can't be happening. No. Not now.  
As I turned to race back into the throne room to find Virdanyis, my hand knocked a stack of parchments and an inkwell from the stone table near the bed; I threw a fire bolt at the nearest sconce as I snatched up the papers and squinted to read them.

My breath caught in my chest as I recognised her handwriting; the elegantly inked letters were stained with drops of water - they were her tears.

_Teldryn,_

_It pains me to write. As Seithring and Adelbhor watch me, oblivious, I transcribe the words which I know will break your heart as they break mine._

_By the time you read this letter, I will be gone._

_As I have often said to you, my love, true leadership requires sacrifice; and the time has come when I cannot delay the sacrifice I have been forced to make any longer._

_Since my return from the battle of Winterhold, I have been plagued by the presence of Molag Bal._

_He has been waiting since the beginning for a chance to claim my soul; since long before you and I first met each other in The Retching Netch. For over a thousand years._  
_My vampirism of years past had tethered me to him, just as my cure had enraged him._

_The bloodshed I wrought in Winterhold, along with other previous actions, not only caused me to lose the favour and protection of the benevolent gods - it also aroused the excitement of my tormentor, and my fragile state after the fighting was over provided the opportunity he needed to take root._  
_I have been plagued by nightmares ever since that night; dreams of agony and torture, of rape and defilement at the hands of the ones I love and trust the most. Dreams so vivid and real that I often could not tell if I were sleeping._

_As The Lord of Domination has worked to break my mind, he has threatened to destroy everything that I hold dear - My Kingdom, my people, my lover, and my children._

_I know that I wield great power; but there is no mortal force in this world that can stand against the wrath of a Daedric prince. I cannot fight him._

_As I have often feared throughout my life, holding the things I love close to me has only brought them into the path of unimaginable danger - as the princes fight over ownership of my soul, they vie to find leverage to stake their claim; if not Molag Bal, then Mehrunes Dagon, Hermaeus Mora, Namira or Boethiah; even Sheogorath._

_There was a reason that no Herald before me was allowed to love, to rule, or to bear children; it is now painfully clear to me why this was._

_A soul with power such as mine must never be given the luxuries of such things, lest they be used to force them into the servitude of the evil._

_And so it has befallen me. I was not wise enough to foresee it._

_In exchange for a promise to leave my children, lover and kingdom untouched, I will submit to Molag Bal._

_I do not know what fate awaits me as I prepare to enter Cold Harbour. But it is almost certain that I will die; I may never see you again._

_I can feel myself slipping away, Teldryn. With each day that passes, I grow weaker and a little more filled with his influence. I fear for the safety of those I hold dear; not only for what may befall them from the Daedric Princes, but from what I may do to them - and you - as my mind begins to dissolve. The children will be returned to The Vale; I do not know if they will be cursed with the dragon blood. But I pray - in futility - that it will not be so._

_I am sorry. I do not know how to find the words to assure you that I do this because of my love for you._  
_I beg you not to come after me, even though I know that you will try; you must stay with the babies. I don't want to hurt you._

_Gelebor is to lead the kingdom until the heirs are of age; if they are doom-driven, I beg you - take them far away from The Vale, and never let them rule._

_Please forgive me for the things I may do when I can no longer remember you; I have never stopped loving you, and I never will._

_Nysteris Agarwen_

I collapsed to my knees in shock.

When the despair came, it was so blindingly intense that I could not contain it; it was as though I could feel my soul being slowly torn apart.

Everything around me became a blur as my mind was stunned; as if from a heavy blow.

It was indescribable agony.

She had gone; and she had ripped my heart from my chest and taken it with her.


	32. Chapter 32: Rally

Three days had passed.

Three days of waiting for any sign of her; of jumping at the sight of every snow hawk which flew in from the outside world, of watching the skies and listening for the slightest sound which would signal the return of the avatars.

But there had been nothing.

The skies had been grey and heavy with snow ever since the day she had gone; life in The Vale carried on under the subdued shadow of sadness and trepidation.

The Crown Jewels of the kingdom had left us; it was the first time since the fall of the Snow Prince that The Vale had lost its champion.

It seemed so cruel.

For a race which had endured such a horrifying past to have the first glimmer of hope in aeons snatched from them in such a sudden and brutal fashion.

The chantry echoed with the prayers of the faithful, pleading to Auri-El for the return of the Herald and the Avatars, their guardians; but it was in vain.  
Gelebor had not told them of the circumstances surrounding Nysteris' departure. They only knew that she had gone, and taken the dragons and the heirs with her. To tell them that she had gone into forced servitude to a Daedric Prince, The Lord of Domination and the King of Rape, would have caused panic and fear on a scale which could not hope to be contained.

The Arch-Mage and the wizards could not find her, they had told me; to do so, they would need to detect her life essence.

Something which had gone.

It was indescribably painful to bring myself to understand that it was over. That she was dead, and that she had not wanted me to try to prevent it. I had been expecting happiness and pride; the arrival of the babies, and hopefully her hand in marriage.  
It had all been torn away, like so much flesh and skin in a searing fire, leaving in its wake the bleeding and excruciating agony of fathomless loss. There was nothing left any more; no future. No beauty.

After three days of waiting for the babies and knowing that Nysteris had died, I bore only the tiniest shred of hope that the twins were still alive, and that I would ever have the chance to see them. The odds seemed to reduce with every minute that passed.

The wind was impossibly cold as I sat at the top of the steps leading to the word wall in the middle of the frozen lake, where Naslaarum and Voslaarum had once roosted. My ears were stinging from the freezing air. I felt entirely numb as the heavy snow fell around me and the fur lining my armour tickled my jaw.

I watched as Virdanyis slowly began to walk across the thick ice from the other side of the lake toward me, a tall white streak in the distance, blurred by the falling snowflakes.

I already knew what he was going to say. That he was sorry. That I was going to freeze to death out here. That I needed to focus on my other responsibilities.

But the truth was that I didn't care any more.

If the babies were not returned here soon, I would leave. I didn't know where I was going to go, or why; but I couldn't stay here. Not when every building, every smell and face and noise was a memory of her.

He came to a stop in front of me, his ivory coloured boots and crimson cloth appearing in my field of vision.

I didn't look up.

'The Avatars are coming.'

The shock caused a physical sting to rip through my body as I quickly looked up at him.

His face was hard and serious as he gazed down at me.

For a fleeting moment, I didn't understand why he seemed so grim.

But then I remembered.

I remembered when the dragons had tried to shatter the roof of the chantry to get to us when I had found Faire all those years ago, and her life had almost slipped away; when they had turned on us in Skuldafn, when Nysteris had lain dying in Sovngarde after the battle with Alduin.

She was dead now; and the Avatars had no master.

'Rally your men. We don't have much time.'


	33. Chapter 33: Deliverance

The massive roar echoed through the air in the distance as the avatars approached; we could hear them before we could see them.

Snow blew in ripples across the surface of the frozen lake where we stood; like ash across the streets of Morrowind. Tension built around us.

The battle mages and snow elf archers were lined up in rows behind Virdanyis and Gelebor, mounted on their glowing, white skeletal horses; The Redoran Elite stood at the ready behind me, their shields raised and their swords drawn, their faces obscured by their long bonemold helmets.

None of these men, Snow Elf or Dunmer, had ever fought a dragon before. And these were not ordinary dragons; they were the Avatars. I didn't know what our chances of success were.  
We were not allowed to kill them, even if such a thing were within our capabilities; they were far too precious to the Falmer people, even in their volatile and unruled state. Our task was to protect the citizens and keep the dragons from wreaking havoc.

I could feel the fear in the air as the two huge shapes suddenly broke over the horizon, the massive span of their wings casting a brief shadow over the disc of the sun.

'Hold!' Virdanyis roared at his archers as the dragons turned in the air and began to weave their way toward us. I heard the shuffling of armoured feet in the snow behind me as the Redoran soldiers braced themselves for the fight, gripping the hilts of their swords ever harder.

'Nobody moves until they show aggression,' I yelled back at them. 'This is not a hunt. We are defenders.'

Gelebor's eyes burned into the Avatars as they circled the word wall, resplendent in his ancient Falmer armour as he held his spear astride his glowing horse.

It was only as I followed his gaze that I saw it; a rider.

My heart stopped as I watched the dragons carefully hover in the air before they gently landed on the word wall, showing much more care and grace than usual; Voslaarum slowly curled his neck around to peer at the rider sitting on his back as Naslaarum gently reached up and picked the woman up by her collar in his beak, slowly bringing her down to rest on the top of the stairs.

It was the midwife; and in her arms, she held a bundle, wrapped in furs.

The shock and realisation hit me like a forceful blow.

The babies.

'Teldryn! Wait!'

I heard Virdanyis and Gelebor yelling at me as I dropped my sword and began sprinting toward the woman, my heart pounding in my head as I watched her stagger. Something was wrong.

It was as I ran closer to her that I saw that she was dead.

Her neck was torn open, and her body was engulfed in a dim blue light; her eyes stared catatonically ahead of her as she lurched forward, raising the bundle toward me as she began to fall.

I lunged forward and snatched it with both hands as she crumbled into a pile of glowing cinders at my feet.

I should have been more concerned about the nature of it; I should have been more cautious.

But all I could think of was what I was holding in my arms.

My hand trembled as I slowly raised it to touch the Vale deer and Sabrecat hide which was wrapping them.

And as I gently moved aside the spotted fur of their coverings, the first glimpse of them made time stand still as the sweetest melancholy washed over me.

They were so tiny; their skin was still wet, smeared with white waxiness and with their mother's blood. Their cords were still attached to their bellies; So new that they must only be hours old.

The little boy was bright pink, his eyes swollen and shut; little wisps of pure white hair were slicked down upon his head, his tiny, sharply pointed ears a faint red from the biting cold. A little grimace passed across his face as the freezing air blew over him, and I gently replaced the furs to cover him.  
But it was the sight of the other which truly weakened me as I gently crept my fingers up to pull back the furs.

A little girl.

Her skin was the palest shade of grey, almost white, even in its newborn tenderness; the shock of black hair on her tiny head thinned before it reached her long, slightly oversized ears.  
Her little hand grasped at the air as she released the softest whine; as her puffy eyes opened ever so slightly, I saw the faintest hint of pale purple.

The most incredibly debilitating softness crept over me as I beheld her, stunned.  
This tiny, beautiful creature, as fragile and vulnerable as anything I had ever encountered; this was my daughter.  
I hadn't prepared myself for this moment. Tears began to well in my eyes as I looked down at them both, curled up against each other.

I didn't understand how it was possible.  
Nysteris; my beloved. Had she ever seen them? Had she ever known?

I heard Virdanyis running up to me, the crunching of his footsteps in the snow coming to an abrupt halt as he reached my side.

I heard him gasp quietly as he looked down at the little bundles in my arms.

A long silence passed before either of us made a sound.

'We need to take them inside.' His voice was so quiet; as though he thought he might disturb them over the blowing wind, and the low rumbles issuing from Naslaarum and Voslaarum as they looked down at the scene unfolding in front of them from their roosts on top of the word wall.

I had never held a baby before.

They seemed so breakable; so delicate that I was afraid that the slightest movement might hurt them.

I was still emotionally stunned, trapped between anguish and joy; I saw a tear drop from my cheek and break on the furs enclosing their vulnerable little bodies.

'Teldryn...'

Virdanyis gently gripped my arm as he turned away, guiding me toward the chantry.

'Come on.'


	34. Chapter 34: Blackreach

Blackreach.

I had never thought that I would come here again; and I had never expected that this would be the place where I would die.

I had expected horror, and horror I had received. I lay now, alone and paralysed, upon the cold and rocky dampness of the stream bank, with my fingers resting in the luminescent water.

It had not been Molag Bal who had taken my life as I had expected. It had been the birth.  
It had only taken one day and one night of agony before my life had slipped away; one of the babies had become stuck, and the time spent screaming on the ground while the terrified midwife hovered helplessly around me was the most excruciating suffering I had ever experienced.

Molag Bal had become increasingly enraged and frustrated by my plight. The terms of our contract dictated that the babies were not to be harmed; if all of us were to die together, he would lose his champion.

Before the last of my life had slipped away, I recalled seeing a vision of unimaginable terror; a huge, black figure, claws and horns, a reptilian tail; and then, as he tore my belly open with his fingers, I ceased to remember.

There had been nothing but the cold blackness of the void.

There was no Cold Harbour; only the vast emptiness, the absence of all light and form.  
It was just like the memory of death after Alduin's defeat. Only there were no Daedra clamouring for possession of my soul; I was already spoken for.

I was filled with panic and the aching pain of loss; I could not speak. I had no form. There was no passage of time in the void.

All I could think of were Teldryn and the babies; the irrepressible fear that I and my children would die, and Molag Bal would attack The Vale in a fit of rage. They stood no chance of defeating him.

But it came to pass that I awoke, lying here on the ground in a pool of my own blood, disembowelled and preserved in an artificial state of unlife.

I was alone.

The midwife was gone; the babies were gone. I had never even seen them.

I felt tears stream down the sides of my face as I thought of what may have happened; whether Molag Bal had kept his word.

_**'Those disgusting spawn of yours are in the hands of your consort.'**_

Even in my fragile state, lingering in between life and death, I was overcome with mixed emotions; bittersweet relief that the babies were with Teldryn, and unbridled terror at the sound of Molag Bal's voice.  
It was no longer a booming echo in my head; it was here on this plane, next to me. He was still manifested here.

_**'I've kept my side of the bargain, Herald.'**_

Fear gripped me again as I tried to move, but found that I was still helpless.

_**'Now... You're mine. Hahahaha... Mmmm. Should I take you now?'**_I felt his cold, sharp claws ripping away the remains of my clothing._** 'Or should I... Repair you first? Hmmm.'**_

I felt a huge, hard, freezing cold thigh force my legs apart as the massive clawed hand gripped my throat. His skin felt like metal; an aura of unadulterated evil radiated from his flesh as he bore down upon me.

_**'...No. You are not broken enough yet. You will wait until I am done with you.'**_

I wanted to scream as I felt a hard coldness press against my inner thigh.

_**'If it helps... You won't remember this. Or anything else... Daughter of Cold Harbour.'**_


	35. Chapter 35: Questions

'I would say that you've got some explaining to do... But I can't say I'm surprised.'

I gave Gelebor a smug grin before looking back down at the baby boy, tingling slightly at the strange sensation of him sucking on the tip of my little finger. His tongue pressed firmly against the surface of my fingernail; I was surprised at the strength of it.

It was common to see Dunmer mothers with the tips of their little fingers in their babies' mouths to soothe them as they walked about the marketplace and chatted with one another in Blacklight; a habit that had been popularised by Queen Barenziah after she had given birth to her children. It was said that she would pacify her son Helseth this way as she greeted her subjects alongside her husband Symmachus, from the balcony of Mournhold Castle. It was one of the few things I knew about how Dark Elves raised their little ones; I had absolutely no experience in the field, and I had never planned to gain any.

It felt awkward at first. Emasculating.

I was a seasoned fighter and a captain, bearing scars and stories and all of the typical vices to be expected of a man who had spent his life constantly engaged in skirmishes and conflict. Drink, bloodlust, women.  
Dunmer men were providers who taught their children how to fight and outwit their foes; not typically affectionate or coddling.  
I'd rather try to touch the moon than take on a mother's thinking.

Yet, here I was.

As much as I had eagerly anticipated the arrival of the twins, my lack of experience in family oriented matters had given me quite a different idea of how things would be.

I hadn't been expecting the babies to be so fragile and helpless; or for them to be so small. No thoughts of how to feed them, or wash them, or put them to sleep had ever crossed my mind. None of the practicalities of parenthood.

And the more I closely observed the little boy, the more unsure I became that he was a pure, pedigreed Falmer.  
His skin and hair bore a distinct, although very pale grey tint once he had been washed; and his eyes were almost violet, like his sister's. The nurse had told me that all snow elf babies were born with violet eyes, like kittens or puppies were born with blue ones; but I was not so certain.

'You'll need to surrender them to the wet nurses eventually.'

I could tell that Gelebor was pissed off.

He had, after all, gone to great pains to coax Nysteris into agreeing to bear a child to inherit the throne in the first place.  
Now he had two to choose from, but possibly neither of them would be the pure blooded heir which the people had asked for.  
It was like a cruel joke. I couldn't help but smile.

'All in due time. Let me be, your highness.' I smiled at the babies as I shifted them slightly in my arms as I sat on the chair.

'Their names will be announced to the people tomorrow. The court has already decided.'

I frowned in indignation as I quickly looked up at him. 'What? Is this a joke? I'll be the one to decide their names, Gelebor.'

'That isn't the way this works, ambassador. Dare I say you've already made more of a contribution than anybody had planned for.'

If he was trying to make me feel guilty, it was not working. Every time he voiced his displeasure, it made me a little more smug.

'I wouldn't worry about that,' I said matter-of-factly. 'They won't be ruling the kingdom.'

His eyes widened a little and his nostrils flared as he stared at me with an expression of alarm and indignation. 'And under whose authority do you make such a statement?'

'You've read the letter. The queen's wishes were clearly stated. If they are Dragonborn, they are to be removed from The Vale and never allowed to rule.'

'You have no way of knowing if they are.' He stood his ground as he glared at me.

'Gelebor,' I said softly as the babies began to wriggle. 'Have you given no thought to this? Nysteris is... She's gone. How do you think it was possible that Naslaarum and Voslaarum returned the children to us with such composure? Their master is... Dead.'

I saw something click inside his head as he began to understand. I smiled ruefully at him. 'At least one of them has the dragon blood.'

'Do you know...?'

'No.' My voice was blunt. 'I do not know which one. Or if it is both of them.'

He was silent for a while; I saw the gears of his mind working as he gazed down at them in my arms.

'The boy,' he said gently. 'Is he yours as well?'

'I don't know for sure. I would assume so. His sister most certainly is; I don't see how it could be any other way.'

'They aren't identical. There is a chance, although impossibly small...'

'Oh, come on. That's ridiculous.'

'If he is pure-blooded, he will be staying in The Vale, Teldryn. It is not your place to decide for him.'

'Is it your place to make that call?' I stared at him defiantly.

Virdanyis entered the room and sat quietly beside me, an expression of hesitant wonder on his face as he stared down at the babies.

'I...' Gelebor stammered awkwardly.

'You'll have some time to think in any case. I'm going to find Nysteris.'

'What?' I heard the shock in Virdanyis' voice as he looked up at me. 'Teldryn, she is... She is Molag Bal's ward now. She may not even be on this plane. And if she is...'

I felt sadness and melancholy begin to build within me again as I looked down at the babies.

'I have to know. If there is any chance to bring her back... I have to know.'

'You are going to your death if you try to follow her.'

'Then so be it.' I was speaking from anger more than reason; I knew Virdanyis was right.

The atmosphere in the room was tense; the wet nurse entering the room and quietly waiting in the corner was the only thing which broke it.

'What have you decided to call them?' I asked dryly.

'Sahren and Serenwen. After the Queen's father and mother.' Gelebor was calm again.

'Ugh.' I turned my head in disgust. 'Those are terrible names.'


	36. Chapter 36: Search

'You don't even know where to start looking, do you?'

I sighed loudly as Virdanyis stood behind me with his arms folded.

'No. Of course I don't. If I did, it would be easy. And we can't have that.'

'No need to be short with me. I'm on your side.'

I turned slightly to glance at him, holding the Vale Sabrecat fur in my left hand.  
I knew I was being difficult; for Virdanyis, Gelebor, and the nurses minding the babies. I often found myself assuming that they felt the same way as I did; that they were just as desperate to find Nysteris and somehow bring her back from whatever terrible fate had befallen her.

But they weren't.

Snow Elves were too detached and level headed. Practical and logical to a fault, and never ruled by their emotions. It was frustrating for me, and difficult to understand.

The contrast between my opinion and theirs was only exacerbated by my strong emotional ties to the whole tragic predicament; I loved Nysteris, and I now had children to think of.

All that they saw when they pictured the situation was a foolhardy Dunmer and a possible threat to the kingdom. They would never be able to comprehend my motivations.

And I didn't care.

'Are you sure you won't come?' I asked Virdanyis quietly, still facing away from him.

'I can't. I have a duty to my lord and to my kingdom. I must stay here... I'm sorry.' He stood still and remained silent for a moment before pressing on. 'You must have a starting point in mind.'

'...yes.'

I was hoping he would drop the subject as I continued to pack for the journey; potions, weapons, armour, bandages. I was afraid that if I was made to speak my intentions out loud, it would snap some sense into me and make me rethink my decision.

'Well?'

I sighed again. I really didn't want to say it.

'I need to get to an altar of Molag Bal. I know where I can find one.'

'You... Gods, Teldryn. What do you think will happen to you? Do you think he's going to show you a kindness? Have you forgotten what he is?'

'He is the one who controls her now. I'm going to have to deal with him eventually.'

'What about the babies? Would you leave them alone in this world as orphans?'  
His voice was quiet and almost pleading, begging me to see reason; it only served to anger me.

'Do not do that, Virdanyis!' I hissed at him as I turned around and glared at him. 'Don't you dare... You have no idea how many times I've had to do this to myself for her sake. Years and years spent chasing after her and begging the gods to keep her safe, of beholding her suffering and sacrifice, of waiting for her to return to me after I watched her die in my arms. I have her children now; I will not stand idly by and let her fade away while there is even the slightest glimmer of hope that I can save her. She has my heart. Do you understand what that feels like? What would you know of it?'

There was shock and sorrow in his pale blue eyes as he held my gaze, unable to find the words he wanted to say; I felt a flare of shame grow within me as I turned away from him again, folding up the Sabrecat hide and stuffing it into my bag.

'They will be safe and well cared for here. Whether I return or not. I would never leave them if I thought it would be otherwise.'

'Will you return without her?'

The question was a painful one; I did not know the answer. The aching in my heart began to grow again.

'I... I don't know.'

The silence that passed between us was long and heavy with sadness; I could tell that he was expecting me to die, and that he thought he would never see me again.  
I couldn't free myself from the feeling that he was right.

'Is there anything I can do?' He asked softly.

'Yes. Give me your pipe, some fill and plenty of kynsin.'

I smiled at him dryly. I may never end up needing them; but I would if I ever walked out of Castle Volkihar alive.


	37. Chapter 37: Father

I watched the flames swirl and billow in the dark sky as I sat upon the stone chair in the destroyed palace, resting my temple against my armoured fist, the freezing wind biting at my bare skin as it rushed and howled through the windows.

The ground was coated with thick black sludge; It was spattered across my bare thighs and over the knee-high metal boots I wore; It stained the long, ornate mail loincloth hanging between my legs, held up over my hips by thin black chains.

I stared at the bodies of the mutilated Mer at my feet; Their skin was white like my own. But I did not know where they had come from. They had not died by my hand.

The wind carried screams of agony from the distance.

This place, this building; It was almost familiar to me. But I could not remember anything except being here, in Cold Harbour.

I turned my head to gaze out of the window again at the scene which kept drawing me back; A crumbling wall carved with strange words, resting on top of a stone island in a frozen lake. The bones of two huge skeletons lay scattered on the ice around it; What had once seemed to be dragons.

Why did the sight of them make me feel so restless?

I watched the dremora roam the frozen and fiery wastes, leaving trails in the black slime as they searched for mortal souls to hunt. Hideously deformed creatures only slightly larger than my foot scampered through the crumbling halls and ruins around me, hiding in dark corners as they chewed on scraps of sinew and bone.

The screams of the suffering, the roar of the flames outside, the hiss of the brutally cold wind; It all faded away. It was ambience.

I had no memories beyond the here and now. I felt as though I had always been here, waiting to be repeatedly summoned and ravaged by my Father and master, Molag Bal; But it still seemed so raw. I was not adjusted; I accepted it because it was all that I knew.

I did not even know my own name.

And as I ran my armoured fingers over the huge, raised scar which ran down the length of my belly, I had no memory of how I had come to bear it.

The hunger for blood and bloodshed was too strong to allow me to dwell on such things for long. The euphoric thrill I experienced from ripping open the throats of the lost mortals who fond their way here, or venturing out to instigate the unprovoked slaughter of groups of dremora, was all the bliss I needed to keep me pacified. And it often aroused the lust of my master; I could predict his visits based on the level of slaughter I had accomplished.

Maybe I had never been anything but what I was now; A daughter of Cold Harbour, and my Father's champion.

I longed for the time when he would unleash me upon the plane of Nirn, as he had promised me; when he would allow me to display all of my power. Rivers of blood and masses of weak and aggressive mortals; It was like a dream.

_**'Arise, Daughter. Greet your father as you have been told.'**_

The sound of his voice sent a dark thrill shivering through me as I stood from the broken throne, a faint smile breaking upon my lips; My hair fell about my face around the sides of my black crown as I kneeled on one knee, casting my eyes to the ground.

'Father.'

I could hear his heavy footsteps slowly thudding through the sludge as he came to stand before me; I saw the gleaming blackness of his ebony skin, the clawed nails of his feet as sharp as daggers. His long, serpentine tail curled in the sludge like a snake as he stood.

I was not allowed to look him in the face; A ripple of excitement coursed through me as I anticipated what was coming next.

_**'You stare out of that window, moping like a sick dog. You feeble wretch.'**_

The heavy blow struck the side of my face like a warhammer. Blood spat from my mouth as I felt my cheekbone fracture, and then begin to instantly heal; the exquisite pain rippled through me like a wave of heat as I smiled lecherously beneath the curtain of my hair.

'Forgive me, Father. I am a weak and pathetic creature.'

A low, rumbling laugh began to issue from him as he snatched my throat, his talons breaking into my flesh and sending trickles of blood running down my neck as he lifted me up.

_**'Yes. Weak. Unworthy.'**_He brutally ripped away the metal crest supporting the armour which barely covered my breasts, throwing it across the room and sending it crashing against the wall. _**'You need to be disciplined.'**_

Oh, yes. This was what I needed; No matter how many times he visited me like this, I could never get enough.

_**'I will dominate you as you dominate those unfit beasts roaming the plains; Only I have the power to make you whimper and beg like the dog you are. Only I may break you, Daughter.'**_

I held my breath in excitement as I braced myself for the next blow; but it never came.

_**'...But not now. You have been summoned by my children.'**_

My mind went blank.

Summoned? I didn't understand.

**_'They are in need of your fury and power. Go to them.'_**


	38. Chapter 38: Altar

'I don't think you understand what it is you're asking.'

Serana's face was stern; her expression was one of wary hesitation.

It had been shocking enough for her to read the letter Nysteris had left me before she had gone to Molag Bal; No sooner had she finished examining it had I asked her how to reach Cold Harbour.

The Castle still reeked of blood and death. Even as her glowing, orange eyes burned into my own as she spoke, she seemed too beautiful for this place; too young and benevolent. She was not like the others. She never had been.

'Please, sera,' I coaxed her. 'I must know if there is any chance... to bring her back. I cannot rest until I know for certain.'

'Oh, you can bring her back. That won't be hard.' She stared me in the eye, her brows raising as she spoke in a low, serious tone. 'If she is in Cold Harbour, she can be summoned like any other demon or daedra.'

I tried to hide and suppress the wave of excitement that quickly welled up in my chest as I heard her words.

I knew there had to be a catch; Nothing was ever this simple. It was true that I didn't understand what I was doing. The fact that I knew that I was about to do something horribly dangerous did nothing to dissuade me. Every moment that I had to endure knowing that she was suffering and out of my reach was unbearable to me. My already dim instinct for self-preservation had long since been overridden by the aching, hollow emptiness of her loss; I no longer cared about what would happen to me, as long as I had my chance to see her, to try to bring her back. I was gripped by desperation, fuelled by heartache.

'Just tell me what I need to do.' MY voice was quiet and low as I tried to secure her cooperation.

'Teldryn,' she began softly, almost pleading. 'She will not be as you remember her.'

'I'm aware of that.'

'No,' she sighed. 'She is Molag Bal's champion now. One of the greatest prizes he has ever claimed; the soul of a Dragonborn. There is no chance that he would allow her to keep her memories of you. She will be heavily controlled; She might even try to kill you. Unless you are the one who performs the summoning, she will only see you as prey. Any shred of the Nysteris you knew will be almost completely suppressed by his influence; It would be too risky for him to keep her otherwise. You're only mortal. And you present a threat to Molag Bal; You want to take his champion.'

'You've read the letter, Serana. He isn't allowed to harm me.'

'Maybe he can't. But she can.'

I grew frustrated and impatient. I wasn't listening to her; I just wanted her to tell me how to perform the summoning. 'There is a shrine to Molag Bal here, yes?'

'Yes...'

'Wonderful. Now, what do I need to get started?'

She sighed loudly, shaking her head slightly as she looked down to her feet, a harrowed expression upon her face.

'A sacrifice. You need to either kill somebody and drain their blood onto his fountain, or rape a virgin on his altar... to reenact the creation of Lamae Bal, the first vampire.'

I recoiled in horror and disgust. No matter how evil and depraved I thought the Lord of Domination to be, I was repeatedly astonished at how deep the malignancy went.

I thought for a moment as I recovered from my aversion.

'Tell me, my dear... Is Vingalmo still around the castle?'

I saw her eyes widen in shock as she stared at me, her lips parting slightly to show the tips of her fangs.

'Oh, no no no... I'm not going to rape him.'


	39. Chapter 39: Corrupted

The woman had been brought up to the altar room from the thrall pens below Castle Volkihar.

She was lying on her side on the cold grey stone. Her filthy roughspun clothes fitted loosely over her emaciated frame and her eyes stared catatonically ahead of her, glazed and unfocused. She had been drained almost to the point of death; the wounds on her neck still fresh enough to bleed.

I had rarely beheld a creature enduring such a wretched existence.

I gripped on to the hilt of the ebony dagger as Serana quietly watched on, her arms folded as she leaned against a stone pillar, her eyes glowing in the dim light as she patiently waited.

'How long will it last?'

I heard the trepidation and sorrow in my own voice as I stared down at the woman before me.

How had it ever come to this?

Here I was, standing with a blade in my hand over the body of an innocent, preparing to take her life to enable my own gratification. I, who had held so firmly to my sense of honour for so many long years, who had taken such pride in it; I had allowed myself to become reduced to this.

For the first time since I could remember, I felt weak. As if my spirit had been slowly eroding away for decades, and only now had the true extent of the decay been revealed to me in all of its terrible progress; Like consumption. Like a cancer.

My years with Nysteris had been beautiful and horrible; I had soared to the heights of bliss and glory with her and plunged to the depths of darkness and unrestrained horror. There was none in the world like her, and there may never be another; From the first moment I had laid eyes on her in The Retching Netch all of those years ago, my fate had been determined, and had unfolded before me like a waking dream in all of its sweetness and anguish.

It had always been abundantly clear to me that she was in constant conflict with her aspects of light and darkness. What I had not realised was how I had been distracted from balancing my own.

She had taken her toll on me.

Had it been worth it? Was it worth it now?

Were ten thousand tears worth a single smile?

After a human lifetime spent enraptured by her; after the dragons and the bloodshed, the children and the sacrifices; I still didn't know.

The dust drifted slowly down through the beams of dim grey light in the altar room; The sound of the blood spilling forth from the mouth of the altar fountain echoed through the dark and freezing silence as Serana quietly answered me, turning a plain golden ring in her fingers slowly as she looked down.

'I don't know. Minutes, maybe. Hours. She might be released onto this plane indefinitely, able to travel between here and Cold Harbour as she sees fit.' She paused for a moment, her glowing eyes burning into me. 'Is that something that you are prepared to inflict upon this world?'

Her question wounded me; because the answer was one which I was pained to admit.

Yes. I would pay any price if it meant I had the slightest chance to reclaim her; My beloved, My Herald, the mother of my children. My broken heart could not see value in anything but her and the babies.

Serana watched me intently as I stared down at the thrall on the ground; after a long silence, she slowly walked up to the altar of Molag Bal and dropped the ring into the pool of blood.

'You should start now.'

I summoned all of my resolve and detachment as I reached down and gripped a handful of the woman's dirty brown hair; I exhaled as I tried to picture her as a creature deserving of this kind of death. Something wretched and revolting; something to be put out of its misery.

She inhaled sharply as I roughly pulled her up and dragged her toward the altar, gritting my teeth as I roughly pushed the front of her neck against the black stone basin and brought the dagger around with my right hand.

She didn't struggle; it made it harder somehow.

Serana began to whisper unfamiliar words as she held out her palm over the pool of blood, a dark red glow enveloping her arm. It was time.

A spasm shook through the woman's body as I cut her throat as quickly and cleanly as I could manage.

A rush of shame and anguish flooded through me as I watched the deluge of blood erupt from the gaping wound in her neck and she coughed and wheezed; as I watched her life fluids drain into the basin and mingle with the blood already there, it was as if I could feel the last shred of my morality drain away with it.

I was as corrupted as any other soul in this accursed castle now. Maybe Nysteris and I would finally be together in damnation.

I was almost too consumed by my angst to notice when the dark and writhing tear in reality began to manifest behind the altar.

I gasped and dropped the limp carcass of the thrall as I looked up to behold it; Serana withdrew her hand and stepped backwards in trepidation as the portal widened, and a familiar figure slowly began to emerge.

'My gods...' I gasped as Nysteris stepped into plain view, and the terrible vortex began to close behind her.

My heart soared and shattered at the same time as I saw her. She had changed; Changed so terribly that I could barely stand to look at her.

Gone were the blue eyes I had gazed into during our moments of love and passion; The blue eyes we had won together when we had brought her back to life in Morthal, the eyes that had always been my token of triumph from when we had freed her soul from darkness. They were red now. Oh, so terribly red. Dark like blood and bright and glowing like heartstone, her pupils obscured by the malevolent luminescence. Fathomless and rimmed with the darkest black; There was no shred of familiarity or recognition within them as they bore into me, wide and vacant, filling me with fear.

The ends of her long black hair were dripping with a glossy dark sludge; the same substance which covered her legs up to the middle of her bare, stark white thighs, the tall metal daedric boots she wore reaching to her knees and glowing dimly red beneath the black slick. She wore a long, ornate metal loincloth, hanging down to just below her knees and supported only by fine black chains over her hips, giving her the appearance of near nudity; her chest was covered by ornate daedric armour with heavy, spiked pauldrons and barely covered her breasts.

Her arms were bare save for long daedric gauntlets which reached to her elbows, the viciously clawed fingertips stained with blood and viscera. She held an accursed black spear in her left hand, and it glowed with a terrible, dark red aura; like the Herald's crown she still wore on her head.

The crown; it was the cruellest reminder of all. Defiled to its very core; the silver horns were black, the sapphire jewel as red as blood. Molag Bal had kept it on her as a reminder of the magnitude of his prize, a horrific and boastful display of the power he had claimed through her.

The evil of her aura rippled out from her in waves; visible like a dark heatwave emanating from the surface of her bare skin.

She seemed almost ethereal; she had gained height and was now as tall as I was, and her flesh appeared to fade in between opacity and translucence as she stood there, her eyes blazing and the black effluent of Cold Harbour dripping from her body.

But the most painful sight of all was the massive, white keloid scar running across her stomach, from beneath her right lower ribcage to her left hip bone, cruelly displayed by her scant armour for all to see; The only sign of the mortal life she had once lived. I was speechless at the sight of it.

Serana gasped quietly and stepped backward as Nysteris began to slowly advance toward us; The jangling of her armour rang out with each heavy step she took as her red eyes flicked from one of us to the other.

'Master.'

Her voice was like two speaking at once; It resonated through me as she began to slowly kneel at my feet, the same way Virdanyis had done before his queen so many times before in the throne room of The Vale.

I was paralysed with terror and anguish; no words could escape from me.

I felt Serana hastily push a wet object into my hand; the ring she had dropped into the fountain earlier, still coated in blood.

My heart thumped rapidly and loudly in my head.

I had no idea what was going to happen next.


	40. Chapter 40: Remember

He was mortal.

A mortal Dark Elf, shrouded in the intoxicating cloud of the artifact he carried; I could see the pacifying, crimson aura glowing around his body as he stood before me. He was the one who had summoned me.

I had not expected it.

My Father had told me that I had been summoned by his children; and though one of his daughters was here - watching hesitantly from afar - it was not she who had performed the ritual.

There was no battle; there were no enemies to rend asunder. Only this Dunmer, gazing down at me as I kneeled before him with an expression of hardness upon my face; and although he appeared controlled and unreadable, I could hear his heart thundering in his chest; I could smell the mortal blood rushing through his veins. Tainted with weakness.

His body was firm and strong; but he was ridden with fear and anguish.

It was a taunting provocation to crush him. A flagrant invitation to subjugate and break him.  
And were it not for the fact that I was under his command, I would have done so immediately.

I glared up at him from my kneeling position on the stone floor of the quiet altar room, awaiting his instruction.

He was tall for a Dunmer. The ornate ivory cuirass and crimson cloth he wore left the smooth grey skin of his arms exposed, showing the large, hard muscles of his biceps and the scars that covered them; his neck was scarred in the same way. His chest and shoulders were broad and his hips were narrow.

He had quite a traditional Dunmer appearance; fine and prominent bone structure, large pointed ears, vivid red and large deep-set almond shaped eyes and Dunmeri facial tattoos. His beard was short and coarse, the long black crest of hair standing upright on his head and bending slightly to the left. The sides of his scalp were carefully shaved, and his eyebrows were sharply angled and arched, almost obscured by the dark blue tattoos which led down to his lower lip and chin.

He was a fit specimen, and quite handsome; judging by his scars, musculature and relatively young age, he was a champion in his own right. I knew that he must have slaughtered an innocent soul in order to bring me here. It made his state of mind harder to understand.

'Nysteris...' He almost whispered, his hand reaching out to touch me; his voice was deep, cultured and slightly rasping. 'What did he do to you?'

I didn't move as his fingertips touched the hair hanging beside my face; I could smell the ashy heat of his blood as his wrist came close to my nose.  
This was strange. I had come here expecting bloodshed. I didn't like it.

'Be careful, Teldryn,' I heard the Daughter warn from her corner of the room.

'Stand.' His eyes remained locked onto mine as I rose and straightened myself to my full height, staring him in the eyes, becoming impatient.

'Do you even remember me?'

I thought I felt the tiniest flare of familiarity at the sound of his voice, coupled with the sight of him and the scent of him; but it passed like smoke in the wind as I stared at his face, his eyes passing down over my body as he came to rest his eyes on the scar upon my belly.

'Do you even remember yourself?'

He raised his hand again to gently move the unruly strands of hair away from my face with his fingers; the vague familiarity washed over me again at the gesture, but it was crushed by the same confusion and emptiness I had felt earlier.

I was under his control for the time being, and there was nothing I could do about it while he had that gold ring in his possession.

What did he want? I was becoming impatient, uncomfortably hungered by the smell of his blood and annoyed at his meaningless words.

'You... I wish I could...'

I could see tears begin to well in his eyes as his lips parted very slightly, and he searched my face for any kind of reaction, any sign of recognition. But there was none; he was a stranger to me.

'Your orders.'

'Sera...'

A sudden flare of recognition lit up within me at the sound of the word... Sera.  
I knew it. I had heard it before.  
My eyes widened a little as I looked at his face; his own eyes did the same as he instantly detected it and moved forward a little closer.

'Do you remember? Look at me, Sera... Nysteris. Think.'

Anger flared in my chest. I clenched my teeth and bared them slightly as I glared at him, infuriated by his weak disposition.

'Teldryn, stop.'

He ignored the vampire in the corner as his face hardened and he stared at me.

'You want orders? Fine. I am your master now, and I order you to listen.'

That ring. I had to remove it from him. It was the only way that I would ever be able to kill him.


	41. Chapter 41: Someday

The weeks had passed by like a beautiful, tragic dream; he had taken her from Raven Rock to Blacklight, from Whiterun to Morthal, from Winterhold to Riften to Falkreath; he had quietly summoned her in his rooms when he had been alone, waiting for her to manifest as the black and crimson mist crept across the tavern floors to pool and give her form.  
He would gently and softly tell her the story of each place they were in, and what had once happened there; the legend of the Dragonborn, of the Heralds, of how a vampire's soul was saved in Morthal; of the defeat of Alduin the World Eater; of how love had grown and bloomed in the hearts of a Dunmer man and a Falmer woman, and not even death could keep them apart.

She would remain silent, her eyes ablaze with accursed light, watching him silently from the shadows as he told his tales; resenting his control over her, and bewildered at how he had chosen to utilise a summoned champion from Cold Harbour: to make her follow him around while he told her stories about the past, about the lives of others.

His heart was heavy with desperation and melancholy; he was filled with a sweet excitement at the thought that he had found her again. But she bore no memory of him, or of their lives together. She never spoke. And he could feel the evil radiating from her like withering waves of heat; so intense that he could barely withstand it at times, and he would instruct her to subside.

She would follow him in the form of a dark crimson trail of smoke at his heels, clinging close to the ground. When she manifested in his rooms at night, she would always appear behind him, and he would always register the same small amount of shock as he turned and met her piercing gaze; she would watch over him as he slept, and while they had been camping in the wilds, he would often wake to find corpses strewn about the land around them; bandits, soldiers, farmers. Sometimes bears and other animals if there were no men and women; the bodies were always mutilated and drained of blood.

It was becoming exhausting for him.

His love for her was blinding him to the fact that she was no longer the woman he loved; although he knew deep within himself that she was beyond redemption, that painful adoration he still carried in his heart would not allow him to believe it.

His narration and stories were not impacting her, although they would often bring him to the verge of tears.  
If he could only have her as a wraith, a resentful corpse reluctantly bound to his service, then so be it. Although a time may come when he was ready to let her go - to say goodbye - it was not yet. He needed to prove to himself that he had tried everything to make her remember him before he conceded defeat.

He missed her so much that it was almost physically painful for him; he could not see her when he looked into her eyes. And while it was never far from his thoughts that he could order her to submit to him physically, so that he could know her body again as he longed to, his morals made the idea abhorrent.

So he would keep her; like a thrall.

He knew it was morbid; it was a heartbreaking cruelty to them both, a tragedy so bitter that it brought pain to his spirit. But he wasn't ready to let go of her yet; and while she was under his control, she would stay.

The air was freezing cold, although blessedly still over the frozen lake; the owls hooted softly as they silently passed overhead in the night sky.  
Nysteris stood in the shadows beneath a tree behind where Teldryn was sitting, the black mist slowly curling in the night air as she shrouded her body with it. Her vacant red eyes burned into him as he sat down next to the fire, casting a flame spell to enliven it as he gently spoke.  
'This place was one of the most special of all. Where she willingly surrendered to him and their first union took place, and where she first tasted his blood.'

She stared at him in silence as always as he gazed into the fire, knowing that she didn't care; that he was narrating for himself. 'Where he hoped to ask for her to be his wife someday.'

The familiar stirring welled up within her chest again; but, like every time before it, it was crushed by a greater power.  
There was something familiar about this place.

His heart was breaking again.  
He turned to look at her as her gaze burned into him; a flood of sorrow and regret washed over him as he saw the blank expression on her face.  
He found his thoughts turning again to Sahren and Serenwen back in The Vale; their children that he had not yet told her about.

If this place did not stir her; perhaps it was finally time to let her go.  
But there was one more thing; something he had to have, just once more, no matter how much it shamed him.  
He sighed as he felt the guilt ripple through him.

'Come here, Sera.'

His voice was quiet as he stood up and turned to face her.  
She stared at him blankly as she came to stand before him; he averted his gaze from her eyes as he smoothed her hair behind her ear and murmured.

'Be still.'

He felt a rush of shameful desire course through his veins as he leaned in to cradle her neck and gently bite the tip of her ear.

Her skin was cold; her flesh was hard. It wouldn't be the same.

He was shocked to hear a slight hitch in her breath as he carefully bit her; a noise he had heard many times before.  
He quickly pulled away and looked into her face, searching desperately for any sign of awareness or recognition.  
There was lust. Her body had remembered his playful way of propositioning her; it had only taken a few moments to arouse her physically.

Teldryn became excited. A dark and guilty determination began to build within him as he felt her arms slowly rise to embrace him; a strong lust motivated by selfishness and physical longing.

He knew it was wrong.

She didn't remember him. But every fibre of his being was screaming for him to take her; to push her onto the ground or bend her over a fallen tree, to have that taste of her he had been missing and wanting since the battle for Winterhold. To feel himself buried within her, to hear her gasps and moans.  
He had to grit his teeth as he struggled to rein himself in.

His hand slowly went to curl around the hilt of his dagger as he stood there, feeling her hands run up his back, leaving an icy stain of evil in their wake; this was the most responsive she had ever been toward him.  
But it was not driven by love or fond memories; it was nothing.

It was time to decide.

Teldryn felt his heart painfully swell as he roughly snatched a handful of hair from the back of her head and pressed the dagger against her throat; a small, wicked smile crept upon her face, tainted with lust, the first he had seen upon her since her emergence from Cold Harbour.

Even as he felt his heart breaking, a ripple of lust tainted with horror flowed through him as he realised that his aggression was turning her on.  
'Not tonight, sera.' He growled, pressing the blade against her throat a little harder. Her smile widened, showing her vicious, long white fangs.

A tear rolled down his cheek.

'You were my queen; my dark angel, the manifestation of everything I had ever loved.' He spoke through clenched teeth as he stared into her eyes. 'It was the story of us I have been telling, even though I knew you wouldn't listen. I loved you more than I ever thought I could.' He gasped quietly as the tears flowed from him and he whispered. 'And even though you will never know it... You are the thing you are now because there was once goodness in you. Because you had honour, and you once loved me in return.'

He firmly held her head still as he gazed at her, ridden with pain and turmoil as he made his decision.

'I forgive you, sera. Just as you asked me to... Even though you sacrificed me along by your side when you made that choice to give yourself up. I know you will come for me and the twins one day; and when that day comes, I pray it is in benevolence.'

He roughly kissed her, running his tongue along her teeth until he found the long canines; and like he had in this place before, he cut his tongue upon them and let the blood flow into her mouth.

She writhed and shuddered as he held her head still, ablaze with white hot desire, the blade still at her neck; a long moan issued from her as she ran her hands down his body, searching for a way to disrobe him.

He roughly pushed her back, panting through gritted teeth as the blood trickled down the side of his mouth and dripped onto the snow.

'Go. Do what you want. I'm not your master anymore.'

He pulled two letters from his cuirass and tossed them onto the snow at her feet; she stared down at them as he spoke.

'Read them. They are from us. Maybe you'll understand one day.'


	42. Chapter 42: Eternity

It was the twenty first of First Seed; the festival of the Invocation of Azura.  
The city of Blacklight was alive with colour and the sound of music; the twilight glowed from the tall spires of the buildings as the warm glow of the torch fires lit the city streets, and flowers adorned the fountains and street stalls. Happily addled Dunmer danced and flirted in the town square, the young ones wearing the flowers in their hair and drinking too much Shein and Mazte; the more seasoned dark elves sat on their benches along the sidelines, drinking their Sujamma and heckling the efforts of the young men as they tried to procure the affections of the girls. The smell of food and incense wafted pleasantly through the evening air; I smiled as I watched the revellers from my seat next to the door of the corner club and smoked, drinking Sujamma from the jar.

Sahren was drinking in the centre of the square near the fountain, smiling widely as he nursed a bottle of Shein as he stood and watched his amorous friends chase after the sweet-faced young Dunmer girls, uttering proclamations of devotion as they offered traditional tokens of carved ebony Daelhad dolls and flowers.  
He stepped backward politely as the more confident of the young ladies approached him, cocking her hips to the side and giving him a suggestive glance as she spoke; I knew why she was interested. Even though he had no Dunmer heritage - he stood out in the crowd of dark elves like a gleaming white beacon in a sea of dark skin - his height was a draw card. He was tall like his father; at only sixteen years old, he was already the same height as I was, and would likely grow taller. And he was reserved and polite like Virdanyis; he didn't take advantage of the opportunities on offer, much to the bewilderment of his friends.

I smirked as I watched the amorous Dunmer girl place her hand on his chest and reach up to twirl a finger around a lock of his long, shiny white hair. I remembered when I was young and the girls would do the same to me, remarking on my height; it wasn't the length of his hair they were interested in.

Thank Azura for that old rumour. It had been assisting the romantic efforts of tall teenagers since time immemorial.

'Dad.'

I heard a sweet chime of high-pitched giggles from the group of young girls on my left side; I pretended not to hear them as I exhaled a long, thin plume of smoke into the air, crossing my legs as I lifted the Sujamma bottle.

'Dad. I need more septims.'

I grinned smugly as I turned to face her, raising an eyebrow. 'Is that so? I thought I gave you plenty a few hours ago. And I don't pay for bad manners, young lady.'

She gave a frustrated sigh, her deep purple eyes burning with embarrassment as her long, messy black hair hung about her shoulders, littered with flower petals. I grinned at her innocently, taking a drink from the Sujamma bottle.

'Please, father, may I have more gold?'

I smiled at her as she stood there in her long red dress, her pale grey skin shimmering with the powdered moonstone all of the girls were wearing these days.

'That's better.' I put the bottle down and reached into my pouch for a generous fistful of coin. 'I'll need you to give me something in return, though. All of those Daelhad dolls you've got in your pockets.'

Her eyes widened as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

'Dad! You're embarrassing me!' She whispered harshly.

'Oh, nonsense,' I said brightly. 'I could have demanded a ransom for all of the other ones I found in that little wooden box under your bed. _That_ would be embarrassing. Wouldn't you agree, girls?'

The three Dunmer girls waiting behind Serenwen began to giggle as I smiled and winked at them, and the coins were snatched from my hands.

'Ah ah! What do you say?'

'Thank you, dad.' She leaned over to give me a kiss on the cheek and I returned the gesture.

'Ask your uncle the next time you run out. He'll be here soon. I'm watching you, _murhjul_.'

I smiled as I watched her skip away with her group of friends. My pride and joy; a perfect blend of her mother and father. And a reason to stay up at night and worry.

I was roused from my pondering by the sight of a tall figure making its way through the crowd; it was Virdanyis, his incredibly long white braid draped around to his front and a genuinely warm smile spread across his handsome face. His scar moved slightly as he went to speak, his Falmer cuirass catching the light of the torches in the town square.

'General!' He shouted out as I stood up from my chair to greet him, a broad smile upon my face. 'You're watching from afar with the old folk now? I never thought I would see it with my own eyes.'

I gripped his right hand firmly and pulled him into a manly embrace, my heart filling with joy at the pleasure of his company. 'You don't have a teenage daughter,' I murmured as I smiled. 'It's like permanent guard duty.'

'Sahren hasn't been giving you trouble?'

'None whatsoever. I wish he'd give me more. He's a teenager too; he should take some guidance from his sister.'

He laughed quietly as we broke the embrace. 'It's good to see you again, friend. It's been too long.'

'That it has. Looks like you've spent all your time growing your hair. Life must be quiet in The Vale nowadays.' I grinned as I picked up the thick braid on his shoulder and dropped it, shaking my head sarcastically.

'We can't all be dashing war heroes with handsome battle scars.' He smiled. 'We heard of your victory in Black Marsh.'

'My men are the true heroes. They did us all proud.' I paused as I observed him. 'I assume you're here for Sahren and Serenwen. For their introduction to the Avatars.'

'Yes.' His voice was quiet and polite; he knew that I was reluctant to let them go. 'Have you informed them?'

'I have. They're both very excited.' I turned my head to watch as Sahren and Serenwen came running up to meet us, their faces lighting up as they saw Virdanyis. 'By the way. I told them you were going to give them money. Don't be a killjoy.' I winked at him as he turned to them and opened his arms wide, a huge smile upon his face.

It was a bittersweet moment.  
I watched on patiently as they greeted eachother, exchanging excited words and warm embraces; Sahren and Virdanyis were so much alike that they seemed almost like brothers instead of father and son.

His arrival signalled the dawn of something else for me; something I had been waiting for since I had taken Sahren and Serenwen from The Vale to raise them in Blacklight.

As the three of them basked in each other's company, I quietly slipped away; to begin a different kind of journey. One that I would need to commence in the place where it had all begun; the frozen lake.

* * *

'I'm here, sera.'

The night air was still, as always; the torch bugs danced in the same way they always had, as if we had never left, and all the time we had spent away from this place was just a dream.

The shadows began to pool as she manifested; I felt her hands creep over my shoulders as she rose up behind me.

'They have gone to The Vale?', she whispered.

'Yes. They are with Virdanyis now.'

It had taken sixteen years for me to come this far with her; to reach the point where she believed what I had been telling her, what had been transcribed in the letters I had shown her. To make her understand how much I loved her and needed her; to reveal the existence of our children without endangering them.

Sixteen years of secret meetings, without anybody else ever knowing.

We had occasionally fought; we had both walked away with injuries. There was still work to be done.

But in all that time, we had remained at odds in a fundamental way. She was a creature of the night, and far beyond redemption; and I was committed to raising Sahren and Serenwen, to making sure that they grew to become the proud paragons they were always destined to be.

But now my job was done. The new Heralds were about to take their places in the kingdom and begin their training; and I was finally free to cast myself to the wind.

It was time to remove the final barrier; for me to be with her again, as I always should have been.

I felt a powerful intoxication overwhelm me as her hands slid down my arms and she appeared in front of me, her long black eyelashes gleamed in the dim light as her red eyes came to rest upon my neck.

'I love you, Teldryn.'

The words weakened me; I wrapped my arms around her and rested my lips against the cold whiteness of the crook of her neck as I spoke.

'And I love you.'

And as I felt the pain of her long, sharp teeth slowly sinking into my neck, the delirium washed me away completely; there was nothing but her and I.

And now; now we would be together for eternity.


End file.
